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)