President Joko Widodo (second left) and Vice President Jusuf Kalla (left) together with Chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Budi Gunawan (right), and National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Syafruddin (second right) inspect the location of the suicide bomb blast in Kampung Melayu terminal, East Jakarta, on Thursday (25/5).
President Joko Widodo has called for all children of the nation to remain calm and maintain unity, following the terror bombing in Kampung Melayu, Jakarta.
The President\'s call does not mean we should surrender to the terror, which killed at least three policemen. The President also expressed deep condolences toward the victims and asked the police to thoroughly investigate the perpetrators\' network down to its roots.
"This is already too much. These days we Muslims are preparing to enter the holy month of Ramadhan to carry out the fast," the President said.
We also condemn the attack in Kampung Melayu. However, we also have to find the root of the problem of why people want to commit suicide bombings behind an inaccurate religious understanding.
The emergence of candlelight actions and the rise of intolerant attitudes shown by citizens of this nation in the last month does not only show there is something to be resolved – It also reminds us that our nation must always be nurtured and cared for together.
The suicide bombing incident in Kampung Melayu reaffirmed the efforts of nurturing and maintaining nation building, which should not be stopped. Indonesia now is open to the development of any ideology, including ideologies that go against and are not in line with what the founders of the nation wanted – unity within the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
On the other hand, efforts to improve welfare of the people are a bit constrained by the attitude of a number of the elite who tend to only prioritize their group interests. They continue to raise discourses that are not related to efforts to improve the welfare of the nation. The distribution of chairs in the People\'s Consultative Assembly for all factions, the emergence of the intention to form an inquiry committee, the uncovering of the e-ID mega corruption scandal and the corruption case at the Maritime Security Agency are just several examples of the elites’ effort to act solely on the interests of the groups.
Amid the ideological rivalry and neglect by the elite, we hope the Kampung Melayu bombing incident awakens us all as a nation. The urgency on the importance of maintaining unity, as disclosed by President Joko Widodo, can be seen.
What we need is unity that simultaneously fosters awareness about diversity and strengthens the groundwork, pillars and roofs of the state buildings. We want to hear louder expressions of the word “us,” not “me” or “you.” We as a nation live in the country of Indonesia.
