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