'Sectarian politics no threat to unity'

SURABAYA (JP): The re-emergence of sectarian politics poses no threat to national unity as long as the Armed Forces (ABRI) still plays a dominant political role, experts say.

Experts said Sunday that ABRI is a deterrent factor for groups pushing their sectarian interests.

Political scientist Afan Gaffar of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University said ABRI is an important stabilizer given the recent mushrooming of religious-based organizations.

"The role of ABRI is politically very strategic. It's thus a bit hard to imagine how a political force intending to create disunity could develop," said Afan.

Unequal distribution of development gains among various regions is more of a threat to the nation's unity, he said.

"Disunity is more likely to result from tension between Jakarta and the provinces than from any political force," he said.

Afan was addressing a seminar Sunday entitled "Religion, Development and Globalization" held by the Institute for Political and Social Research.

Afan addressed concerns about Islam becoming a dominant political force in Indonesia.

It is understandable that the state takes account of the Islamic aspirations of the majority of its population, "as long as the state doesn't discriminate against the minority either religiously or ethnically," he said.

Another speaker, theologian Victor I. Tanja, said sectarianism is a consequence of the politicization of religion.

He said he believes the major socio-political organizations in Indonesia, such as the Association of Indonesia Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI), are still very far from sectarianism but corruption of religion for political purposes could very well sow the seeds of fanaticism.

"However I'm quite convinced it can be suppressed or reduced by keeping Pancasila the sole ideology of the state," he said. (mds)