Year of peace and nonviolence

Year of peace and nonviolence

From Koran Tempo

On Dec. 29, 2002, President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz stated in Kuta, Bali, that the year 2003 would be declared a "Year of Peace and Nonviolence".

The year 2002 has already passed. It has left us contemplating and evaluating what the Indonesian people have gone through, so that in this coming year we will be ready to make breakthroughs to improve the welfare of the people and get the country out of the protracted crisis.

In order that the nation may be enlightened in terms of nonviolent acts and ways of thinking, all crimes against humanity in the forms of anarchy, horizontal conflicts and terrorism must be stopped immediately.

In this context, national leaders must play an active role to ensure that life will return to normal once again.

Let's welcome the year 2003 with optimism by eradicating all forms of violence, injustice and dishonesty, so that the Indonesian people will remain a great, peace-loving nation that stands up against all forms of violence.

YUDHADINATA, Depok, West Java