TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-A lawmaker of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Eva Kusuma Sundari sees the need for the government to remain neutral in any religious violence.
Eva said that the government must help rebuild the burned monasteries and temples, rehabilitate the victims, and provide indemnification for the destroyed building and cars in Tanjung Balai riot on July 20, 2016. “Likewise, whoever commits an act of violence, in the name of any religion, must be arrested and prosecuted,” she said in Jakarta, Sunday, July 31, 2016.
In 1953, President Soekarno said that Indonesia should never differentiate between members of ethnic majority and minority groups, Eva said. “It must be upheld, from Singkil to Tolikara, from Bogor to Bali.”
Eva suggested the Religious Affairs Ministry to use its community development funds for de-radicalization programs which include dissemination of Islamic values of torelance and upholding the constitution. The incident has reinforced the need for the government role in disseminating Pancasila values and the national pillars.
In addition, she has urged the community to understand that ethnic minority group must also respect their majority counterparts. Indonesia has various religions and ethnicity, an ethnic majority group in a region could be a minority in another region. “In social context, we may question a non-Muslim woman who protested against loudspeakers in mosque. But the protest is not a crime,” Eva said.
ARKHELAUS W.
