Soeharto calls for religious, ethnic unity

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto called for religious and ethnic unity over the weekend and reminded the nation that everybody belongs to the same human race.

Addressing a gathering of Moslems at the Istiqlal Grand Mosque here Saturday, Soeharto said the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad taught that all people are bound by one human race.

"In the life of the nation and state we must struggle for the welfare of the whole nation, for all Indonesians, irrespective of their race, ethnicity or religion," Soeharto said in the gathering held to commemorate Nuzulul Qur'an, or the descent of the Koran, the holy book of Islam.

He said that the essence of fasting in this month of Ramadhan is to control appetites. People who can control their passions, attitudes and behavior will show compassion for other people and think of common good, he said.

"Controlling (our) passions trains us to become patient in facing misfortune and gives us the spiritual strength to take up challenges," he said.

One of the biggest challenges of development confronting the Indonesian people, he said, was how to deal with the rapid passage of time. He also called for increased religious awareness.

"As a religious nation we do not want to see our religious awareness fade. Religion has great value for Indonesia and for developing mental and spiritual resilience.

"Strong religiosity is one of the Indonesian nation's cultural strengths and spiritual assets," he said.

Saturday's was the latest of the President's recent calls for national unity. In his year-end speech on Dec. 31, for instance, Soeharto described how the nation was repeatedly rocked in 1996 by upheavals caused by social, cultural, political, economic and religious tensions.

He said then that all upheavals, no matter how minor, could harm the nation. This is why Indonesia should hold on to the state-ideology Pancasila and uphold national interests and unity, he said.

Some of the ugliest rioting and violence occurred in Indonesia last year. Among the incidents were an attack in June against migrants in East Timor, the July riots in Jakarta, the attacks on churches in Situbondo (East Java) and Tasikmalaya (West Java) in October and December, and an ethnic clash between Dayak tribesmen and Madurese people in Sanggau Ledo, West Kalimantan.

Also attending Saturday's gathering were Vice President Try Sutrisno, Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher, a number of cabinet ministers and foreign dignitaries.

About 87 percent of Indonesia's 200 million people are Moslem, with around 5 percent Christian or Catholic and 5 percent Buddhist or Hindu. (swe)