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