Vice President: Lunar New Year Festivities Reflect the Courage of Gus Dur and Megawati
Jakarta — Vice President Gibran Rakabuming has stated that the joyful celebration of Lunar New Year now openly visible across Indonesia’s public spaces represents the fruit of courage demonstrated by the nation’s leaders in nurturing Indonesian diversity.
“We should be grateful and appreciate that the beauty of lanterns adorning streets, the vibrancy of dragon dances in public spaces, and the warm and joyous atmosphere filled with togetherness in Lunar New Year celebrations today are the fruit of the courage and steadfastness of the nation’s leaders in protecting our diversity,” Gibran said through the Office of the Vice President in Jakarta on Saturday.
According to the Vice President, the warm and inclusive atmosphere of Lunar New Year celebrations symbolises the state’s presence in guaranteeing every citizen’s right to express their cultural identity.
The Vice President stated that this major change originated from a decision by Indonesia’s fourth president, Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), who through Presidential Decree Number 6 of 2000 revoked various restrictions on Chinese cultural expressions.
The Vice President cited Gus Dur’s message that all citizens, regardless of their religion, possess equal recognition and standing before the law.
“Through Presidential Decree Number 6 of 2000, Gus Dur created a policy that was not merely administrative, but rather a historical milestone teaching us the true meaning of tolerance and brotherhood,” Gibran said.
This policy was subsequently reinforced by Indonesia’s fifth president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, who in 2002 designated Lunar New Year as a national public holiday.
This designation is regarded as concrete recognition that every citizen has the right to celebrate their traditions and beliefs without fear or marginalisation.
According to the Vice President, Indonesia is a large home built from diversity, not uniformity.
“This is concrete recognition that every citizen possesses equal rights to express their cultural identity because Indonesia is a large home built not from uniformity, but from diversity,” the Vice President said.
Culture, he stated, should not be imprisoned by prejudice, and the right to celebrate traditions is part of human dignity guaranteed by the constitution.
The Vice President emphasised that democracy is not merely a matter of majority rule, but also a commitment to justice, where the state must be present for all people without exception.
The Vice President called on young people to maintain the spirit and intellectual legacy of the nation’s leaders in protecting an inclusive public space.
He also warned that no citizen should feel foreign in their own homeland and stressed that differences must not become a reason for conflict.
“There will be no Indonesia without diversity,” Gibran stated.