Imlek and Gus Dur

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Visitors take photographs on Friday (2/1/2019) at the beautifully decorated Liong Hok Bio Temple in Magelang, Central Java. The temple management welcomes worshippers as well as visitors.

Chinese New Year, locally called Imlek, was designated as a national holiday in 2003 and will be celebrated on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019.

Imlek has been celebrated in a number of regions, depending on local conditions such as the people and the regional leadership. However, as the news has reported, community groups have started questioning Imlek in several cities like Bogor, where a local group released a circular protesting Cap Go Meh, which celebrates the 15th and final day of Chinese New Year.

Discussions about Imlek are inseparable from the fourth president of the Republic of Indonesia, K.H. Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid. Even though he was in power for only a short while in 1999-2001, President Gus Dur left an extraordinary legacy; a legacy that has strengthened nationalism in a milestone for brotherhood, unity and humanity.

Abdurrahman revoked the ban on public performances of the Barong Say and Liong dancers, which had been imposed under the New Order. In 2001, President Gus Dur declared Chinese New Year as an optional holiday, which was then declared a national holiday by his successor, President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Imlek and Gus Dur are relevant to this year’s political context. Every leader is expected to leave a valuable legacy for the nation. A leader will be remembered not because of the length of their leadership, but what they have left and will leave behind for the nation. President Gus Dur provided a valuable legacy to the nation by placing people and humanity as the focus of his political thoughts; he had the courage to take political risks for the sake of humanity.

President Gus Dur\'s legacy must be maintained and even built upon. In the context of the elections, we hope that the contest between candidates Joko Widodo-K.H. Ma\'ruf Amin and Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno will consider the national integrity. The election is not a battle for destroying elements of the nation and state. It is an arena for championing programs and ideas for a better Indonesia.

The nation-state’s existence of cannot be entrusted only to its leaders. To quote Ernest Renan, all elements of the nation, including Chinese-Indonesians, must embody the commitment to live together as citizens. The problems that so many nations have, such as social inequality, poverty and widespread corruption, require civic participation to arrive at a solution. The spirit of living together should prevail not just when the country is doing well, but also during times when the nation is facing many problems. Fellow citizens must make sacrifices.

Happy Imlek for those who celebrate it.