President Joko Widodo (third left) shakes hands with interfaith leaders at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday, May 16. The President invited the interfaith leaders to discuss issues regarding national dynamics. The President asked all parties to end friction among different groups in society.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — President Joko Widodo ordered the National Police chief and Indonesian Military (TNI) commander to crack down on all forms of speech and actions that disrupt unity and brotherhood. The President also asked that friction among groups in the community be immediately stopped.
The statements were disclosed by the President after meeting with interfaith leaders at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (16/5). "Do not ever protest against each other. Our energy would be wasted on such an unproductive thing. We are brothers. You are compatriots," the President said.
The closed meeting, which started at 2:15 p.m., discussed the dynamics of nationalism.
Separately, the business community called on all parties, especially the political elite, to be more mindful, arguing that sociopolitical dynamics following the Jakarta gubernatorial elections and the legal process against inactive governor of Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama should not disrupt the national economy. "A conducive and stable condition is very important for the business world," said general chairman of the Association of Indonesian Entrepreneurs Hariyadi Sukamdani.
Hariyadi said that political temperatures were heated. "This can lead to instability. This should not be left without attention. Please focus on politics, instead of dividing the people," he said.
The situation, which is not conducive to politics, according to Hariyadi, has forced the business players to wait, thereby slowing their business rhythm.
General Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Rosan Perkasa Roeslani said the first step to preventing the economy from being disrupted was to prevent anarchistic situations from occurring.
Some fear that the political situation could discourage foreign investments. "Currently investors are starting to worry about the heated political climate," said chief researcher of MNC Securitas Edwin Sebayang.
"The foreign investors enter because they are expecting Indonesia\'s rating to rise. If Indonesia\'s rating does not rise and the political situation worsens, I am sure they will leave the market.”
Chief researcher of Mirae Indonesia Taye Shim said the government needed to be firm in dealing with those who violate rules and regulations.
Diversity
Members of the Association of Indonesian Archaeologists (IAAI) are concerned with the current condition in which an attitude of tolerance and respect for diversity has declined. In a seminar on diversity, called the Cultural Heritage of the Archipelago in the Challenges of Today and Future, on Tuesday, archaeologist Harry Truman Simanjuntak said that since the 1998 Reform, the narrative of “us and you”has grown and “exclusive groups” have appeared in society.
"In fact, the origin and existence of Indonesia is [rooted in] diversity. The environment, humans, and cultures as products of adaptation and interaction of Indonesia are diverse. Indonesia is known as a cross of cultures," said Simanjuntak. The diversity, among others, is seen in the existence of 1,300 ethnic groups and 730 languages in Indonesia.
Professor of Archaeology at the University of Indonesia Herawati Supolo Sudoyo said there was no genuine gene of Indonesia. "Indonesian humans are a mixture of various genetic [traits] that can essentially be traced to Africa. The process of assimilation is still ongoing and it forms a distinct and diverse structure of the Indonesian human population," she said.
With regard to that, IAAI Jakarta Regional Commissioner Titi Surti Nastiti hoped that political contestation would stop. "A shallow understanding of Indonesia\'s diversity cannot be continuously tolerated," she said.
Nurmala Kartini Sjahrir, an advisor of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, urged the government to immediately take steps to overcome the emergence of intolerance. National alignment, she said, starting with improvements of curricula in education and discussions on nationality and diversity in forums, needed to occur ahead of the simultaneous regional elections in 2018 and general elections in 2019.
Support
The chairman of the Law and Human Rights Assembly of Board of Executives of Muhammadiyah, Syaiful Bakhri, said after meeting with the President that religious institutions could play a role in mitigating the current situation. Muhammadiyah planned to improve the quality of human resources in two main areas, namely health and education.
Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Board of Executives of Nahdlatul Ulama Helmy Faishal Zaini offered to help the government map the issues to deal with radicalism, which is contrary to what the founders struggled for when they formulated the ideology of Pancasila.
The President was grateful to hear the commitment of the religious leaders to continue to maintain, safeguard and strengthen the values of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. The president also expressed gratitude over the commitment of these leaders to maintain unity, peace and tolerance among the people and among groups. All parties that were present at the meeting agreed to build a healthy democracy and support law enforcement.
