Religious leaders told to be close to followers
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)