Religious leaders told to be close to followers

JAKARTA (JP): The government has reminded religious leaders in Indonesia how increasingly prone the public has become to violent behavior and how they need to get closer to their congregations to help nip unrest in the bud.

Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher said after a meeting with President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace yesterday that religious leaders are in the government's vanguard to prevent social unrest.

"In this holy fasting month of Ramadhan, I call upon all religious leaders to stay close to their respective communities. Such closeness will keep any attempts to provoke religious tension at bay," Tarmizi said.

He admitted that not every religious leader is close enough to his or her people. "In this changing world, there are some leaders who do not receive the full support of nor have access to the grass roots," he said.

He said 1996 witnessed religious communities driven to conflict over political issues on several occasions. The riots in Situbondo, East Java, in October and in Tasikmalaya, West Java, last month were just a few, high-profile, examples.

"This country's society is very diverse and psychologically (the diversity makes it) easy for people to lose their tempers," he said.

In the latest development, the government's handling of the riots, the police said they had presented to the courts the dossiers of 42 out of 123 people arrested for causing unrest in Tasikmalaya.

Tarmizi referred to earlier statements by Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung and a leader of the Nahdlatul Ulama Moslem organization, Iolas Ruchiyat, denying the involvement of Islamic boarding school students.

The riot in Tasikmalaya erupted after a group of police officers beat three teachers from a local Islamic boarding school.

Pointing at the various religious tensions in the past 12 months, Tarmizi reminded the religious leaders that they were responsible for their followers' deeds.

"We cannot rely solely on repressive measures to cope with riots. Action to prevent unrest from taking place must also be continuously encouraged," he said.

Tarmizi again assured the public that the recent public violence did not have anything to do with religious issues, especially the alleged proselytizing campaigns by leaders of certain faiths toward people who are already believers of a different faith.

"I have repeatedly said that the alleged 'Christianization' or 'Islamization' are purely political (rumors)," he said. (amd)