Social responsibility, harmony and spirit of humanity
Social responsibility, harmony and spirit of humanity
Alpha Amirrachman, Jakarta
The Dec. 26 tsunami disaster effectively flattened Banda Aceh
and killed more than 105,000 people there. The tragedy was
immense, and left people traumatized, trying to comprehend that
they had lost their loved ones in an unpredictable, brutal way.
The world response to the disaster was impressively swift,
although it remains to be seen whether this spirit will not
recede as quickly as the tsunami.
Humanitarian assistance has poured in to the devastated city;
and as flocks of national and international volunteers have
gathered there in streams, the central government quickly
implemented the visa-on-arrival in order to ease the relief
operation. Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, which is still under a state
of civil emergency, was suddenly open to almost everybody.
Much as the wrath of nature killed people irrespective of
their nationality, ethnicity, race or religion, people around the
world acted in like fashion, mourning the death of their fellow
men and uniting in an awesome spirit of humanity. Social
organizations around the world quickly organized fund-raisers,
and it was astonishing to realize that those who acted first to
lend hand to the most populated Muslim country in the world were
from non-Muslim countries.
Within the country, heartening actions were also taken, such
as Jusuf Wanandi's appeal in this paper not long ago that this
was the moment of truth for Chinese-Indonesians to display their
sense of solidarity by participating in relief efforts.
As such, the tragedy has prompted people across the world to
gather in Aceh in a great spirit of empathy and compassion. The
power of nature, at least for the moment, has sidelined man's
arrogance, complacency and prejudice, instead uniting them in an
unprecedented show of humanity.
Will this spirit prevail in the aftermath of the tragedy,
particularly as reconstructing Aceh is a mammoth task that would
take years to complete? Likewise, will we, as a people of this
highly diverse country prone to communal and religious conflicts,
be able to restrain ourselves from our historical biases,
particularly toward foreign volunteers or to our countrymen of
different religious and ethnic backgrounds?
Furthermore, in an era when terrorism has been so prominent,
will the international community be able to put aside the
prevailing prejudice that has identified terror with Islam?
Sadly, signs of racial and religious prejudice are beginning
to emerge and may threaten reconstruction efforts.
As some volunteers admitted in this paper recently: "false
stories about looting, burning and rape targeting the ethnic
Chinese in Aceh ... and other rumors have been circulating via
email and SMS. Some people responded ... by calling for a stop to
all humanitarian aid from and to specific ethnic and religious
groups".
Another sign was the circulation of leaflets that called on
the Acehnese not to allow adoptions by "kafir (infidels),
Christians or missionaries". Later, it was found that the flyers
were spread allegedly to spark hatred among the people.
Meanwhile, a sense of "nationalism" apparently spread by
ultra-nationalists began to emerge with suspicions that the
foreign troops assigned to the city were more political than
humanitarian -- but President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono brushed
aside the issue.
Likewise, at the international level, prejudice began to rise
as various media reported that "militant groups" had joined
relief efforts with a possible agenda to target foreigners from
Christian countries. The concern may be understandable, but this
merely proves that the flame of religious tension is still
burning, regardless the severity of human tragedy -- which is
supposed to transcend race, faith and nationality.
It should be remembered that because the catastrophe was
centered in our country, responsibility for the appropriate
realization of aid efforts rests squarely on our shoulders.
In this case, it is the obvious duty of religious and local
leaders to continue to foster an understanding within communities
that this human tragedy belongs not only to "us", but also to
"them", and that there is no reason whatsoever to stir
misunderstanding. This message could be relayed through mosques,
conscientious media coverage and the government.
In the meantime, foreign volunteers are also expected to
conduct their relief mission with high respect toward local
politics, cultures and religions. Perhaps cultural liaison
officers should accompany volunteer teams to consult on local
sensitivities. For example, religious conversion issues are
highly sensitive and need to be handled with caution.
More importantly, all parties, particularly those who
apparently tried to boost their political standing both overtly
and covertly, should strongly restrain themselves. Spreading
rabble-rousing rumors is not only cowardly, but is also dangerous
to national cohesion. The tragedy is so vast and the agony and
grief of the Acehnese so inconceivable, it is repugnant and
unethical if certain parties try to gain political benefits at
the expense of the suffering Acehnese.
The catastrophe is thus a test of our commitment to nurturing
our sense of humanity and very possibly, this could serve as a
historical turning point for this multi-ethnic country to embrace
a more harmonious coexistence after prolonged religious and
communal conflicts.
As we have all observed, the worldwide response in aid of our
Acehnese brothers and sisters has been heartwarming and genuine.
In return, we should show our sincerity, courage and a conscious
attitude toward maintaining this spirit following the tragedy --
and bury our misunderstandings, prejudices and selfishness.
The writer (a.amirrachman@edfac.usyd.edu.au) is a lecturer at
the University of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka and a deputy
director of the Public Sphere Institute.