Stronger unity needed

Stronger unity needed

A public debate on national unity has surged in recent weeks. There are those who believe that the emphasize put by government officials on the unity of the nation is only a pretext to limit the freedom of expression of the people.

Minister of Defense and Security Gen. Edy Sudradjat categorically rejected the allegation, while calling that line of thinking dangerous.

Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung lamented recently that there are some people who dismiss efforts to strengthen national unity as irrelevant. These people, he said, are not happy with the unity of the nation because it runs counter to their political interests.

Gen. Feisal warns that this nation will break up without a strong sense of national unity. There is no place for complacency, Feisal warned. He reminded the public that the threat of chaos is imminent.

We share the general's opinion and think that efforts to continually forge national unity are a necessity. Hence, there is no point to debate whether this effort is relevant or not.

This paper has tirelessly pointed out that the challenges and aspirations emerging in today's world are different from those of the past. This fact alone dictates the need to make sure that we have solid national unity at all times.

-- Suara Pembaruan, Jakarta