Religious figures and politics

Religious figures and politics

From Pikiran Rakyat

I find the following news report, published in a number of
dailies on Dec. 22, interesting to respond to: "The National
Committee of Human Rights also very much hopes that religious
figures will intensify their efforts to teach their followers.
Until now, religion has been utilized to pursue political
ambitions."

As far as I know, every religion has a fixed principle, namely
a guidance that God has passed on only to the prophets (divine
inspiration) in order that the latter may pass on to human
beings. This guidance includes both ways to reach heaven/nirvana
and also ways to behave properly -- ethics and morality -- in
human interaction in political, economic, legal, educational,
social and many other sectors.

The news report quoted above is not intended as a hidden
campaign aimed at preventing religious leaders from involving
themselves in political matters and confining their movement to
religious affairs only. Unless my guess is right, this statement
by the National Committee on Human Rights smacks of secularism.

According to experts, secularism is a way of life pursued by
certain religious people and atheists. These people are concerned
only with material or worldly satisfaction and do not recognize
the existence of God and the hereafter.

Although these people show themselves devoutly religious
people, they do not see the need to establish a mental
relationship with God, in terms of behavior or prayers and
religious services. They also do not recognize the existence of
divine inspiration as a source of belief and the foundation of
science and technology.

These people believe that belief and ethical as well as moral
values are created by the community. They have been produced by
history and are the traces left behind by man's beastly nature.
Therefore, these people concentrate all their deeds on
fulfillment of physical needs only.

Two relevant and actual examples are rampant practices of
corruption, collusion and nepotism and violations of human rights
during the New Order era. These practices could go on unchecked
perhaps because the religious leaders and the majority of the
religious followers were influenced in such a way that they
considered political involvement a taboo.

Another reason was that during the New Order era, the general
tasks of the government and political, economic, legal and other
development undertakings smacked of secularism. Religious leaders
and their followers could not then make their best choice.

So, now that Soeharto has stepped down, efforts must be made
to ensure that religion-based parties win the 1999 general
election. May God bless the struggle of religious people in
Indonesia in upholding justice and democracy.

SUNGKOWO SOKAWERA

Bandung, West Java