Vice President's warning

Vice President's warning

Vice President Try Sutrisno has again warned us of the
importance of unity and cohesion to the Indonesian nation. The
reminder, repeatedly stated by Pak Try both in his past capacity
as Commander of the Armed Forces and later as Vice President, was
this time given before participants of a conference of the
Majelis Muslimin Indonesia on Monday.

"Let there be no effort where ever and by whoever to turn
(Indonesia) into a religious state," the Vice President said.
"And let Indonesians be on guard against efforts to sow disunity
and conflict through whatever that diverges from our identity as
a nation which upholds the principle of unity in diversity."

Our country, according to Pak Try, is not a theocratic state.
Neither is it a secular country. Rather, it is a unitarian
republic that cherishes religious values.

The most important aspect to note in the Vice President's
warning is that it is addressed to all religious groups. This
seems worth stressing because the desire to turn this country
into a religious state does not necessarily have to come from the
majority -- as might easily be construed -- but could also arise
within a minority group.

We are again reminded of the old saying that we reject both a
"dictatorship by the majority and a tyranny by the minority".

-- Republika, Jakarta