Sharing is the essence of nationalism, Moerdiono says

Sharing is the essence of nationalism, Moerdiono says

JAKARTA (JP): Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono says that
sharing is the essence of nationalism and warns that the
disparity between the rich and the poor in Indonesia could
threaten the unity of the nation.

"In my opinion, the essence of nationalism is the strong
desire to share," Moerdiono told a seminar on nationalism
yesterday. "I think this formulation is quite clear, strong and
capable of containing all aspects of nationalism, and we can use
this as a point of reference in the national building process."

He said that the sense of nationalism grows out of shared
experience, shared interests and shared aspirations.

Indonesia still has "plenty of homework" to overcome the
present social disparity, he said, stressing that while there
will always be rich and poor people in any society, a wide
disparity does not bode well.

"The presence of a stark social disparity effectively divides
the nation into two separate parts, one grouping the rich and
another grouping the poor. "They will each develop their own
philosophy, ideology, political beliefs and strategy," he said.

The three-day seminar is a prelude to the May 20 celebration
for National Awakening Day, which will also mark what President
Soeharto has described as a Second National Awakening.

May 20, 1908 marked the founding of the Budi Utomo, the first
organization that resembled a national movement when Indonesia
was still a Dutch colony. The movement grew and Indonesia gained
its independence in 1945.

Soeharto in his keynote address to the gathering on Monday
urged the people of Indonesia to always reinvigorate their sense
of nationalism in the face of rapid global change.

The seminar brought a number of government leaders to address
the gathering about nationalism. Today, a number of military
leaders will present their perspective.

Moerdiono in his presentation yesterday said that not less
important than forging a sense of nationalism is the need for
Indonesia "to learn to live in a democracy, in the modern sense
of the word," Moerdiono said.

He said that while Indonesia has managed to establish the
necessary institutions for a democracy, its people are not yet
accustomed to differences of opinion, and there is a tendency to
express them in a derogatory way.

He said that the people could learn from the early stages of
Indonesian independence, when leaders managed to overcome their
differences because they shared a common goal.

"We need to learn a lot from our founding fathers, how they
could live with disputes without damaging relationships," he
said.

Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. in his address said
that globalization and rising sectarianism are potential threats
to national unity.

He warned that globalization in technology, culture and
economy tend to standardize thoughts, values and management
systems in ways which are not always in accord with Indonesian
ideology.

"Some of us are easily swayed by the ideas of liberal
democracy. It can endanger our stability," he said.

The growth of sectarianism can lead to wars and the breaking
up of states, as shown by the experience of the former Soviet
Union and Yugoslavia, he said.

Indonesia must quickly anticipate these trends, and
decentralization of the government provides a solution, he said.
"Indonesia tries to keep a good balance between central
government control and autonomy of the provinces," he said. (prs)