Sovereignty, Justice Important for Preserving National Brotherhood
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BANJAR, KOMPAS – Justice and sovereignty are important pillars for the preservation of national brotherhood. Conflicts and wars in many parts of the world are triggered by problems related to justice and sovereignty, among other things.
Efforts to achieve justice and sovereignty are the duty of all parties, including Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization.
That is what Vice President Jusuf Kalla declared in his closing speech at the 2019 NU National Assembly and Grand Conference at the Miftahul Huda Al-Azhar Islamic Boarding School in Citongkolo, Banjar city, West Java, on Friday (1/3/2019).
The event, themed “Strengthening Ukhuwah Wathoniyah for People’s Sovereignty”, was opened on Wednesday (27/2). Ukhuwah wathoniyah is an Arabic term that stands for national brotherhood.
The Vice President said almost all countries in conflict, including Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Egypt and Tunisia, were republics. “However, they all act like monarchies. The absence of the people’s sovereignty leads to conflict between one another,” he said.
Conflicts also occurred in Southeast Asia, including in the Philippines, southern Thailand and Myanmar, he noted. Indonesia acted as a mediator in a number of these conflicts. In the Philippines, for instance, President Joko Widodo agreed to help in the construction of the grand mosque in Marawi, which was recently destroyed in a conflict. “This shows that Indonesia always strives to contribute [to peace] in these countries,” Kalla said.
The main lesson everyone can take from these conflicts is that the lack of justice can lead to bigger problems. “The core problem is about justice,” Kalla said.
Justice and sovereignty were inseparable from people’s level of education and knowledge. If people were poorly educated, they could be easily swayed toward carrying out actions against the state.
Kalla continued that Indonesia should be grateful, as peace and people’s sovereignty had always been part of its struggle.
He said the NU had made a huge contribution, especially through its thousands of Islamic boarding schools all over Indonesia. Apart from strengthening students’ faith and religiosity, the boarding schools were also urged to improve students’ interpersonal relationship values.
Peace
Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Said Aqil Siroj said government-initiated efforts to preserve peace were the implementation of the Islam Nusantara concept, which was reaffirmed at this year’s national assembly and grand conference. The national assembly agreed to optimize NU’s role in resolving international
conflicts and achieving world peace based on the spirit of Islam Nusantara, namely a peaceful, harmonious and kind form or Islam against violence and radicalism.
With respect to social life, the national assembly in particular reaffirmed that all citizens were equal and had the same rights under the Constitution.
The national assembly also ruled that plastic waste management was mandatory and that multilevel marketing schemes without transparency were prohibited (haram).
NU secretary-general Helmy Faishal Zaini said the national assembly also included actual issues about people’s life, as the NU realized it had to benefit the people directly. (REK/IKI)