Kapolda Metro Inspector General Fadil: Respect Diversity For The Sake Of Preserving The Benefits Of The Entire Community

Photo via ANTARA

JAKARTA - Head of Metro Jaya Police Inspector General Fadil Imran said diversity must be maintained. Indonesia is a mosaic of diversity consisting of various ethnicities, religions and races, which must be tied together with the awareness to stay together.

This was conveyed by Inspector General Fadil Imran when holding a gathering entitled "Strengthening National Unity and Unity in Diversity" with interfaith figures at the Metro Jaya Police Headquarters.

"Nationalism is formed not by hiding differences but by respecting diversity in order to perpetuate benefits for all citizens," said Fadil as quoted by Antara, Sunday, December 27.

Fadil also said that civilization and the great progress of the world are supported by three things, namely knowledge, plurality and tolerance.

He said knowledge gave birth to an increasingly superior life in all fields through information technology.

Pluralism allows every person or nation to exchange the best experiences, wisdom and culture. Meanwhile, tolerance provides space for differences to grow and cultivate each other so that life together can be refuted.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the Gus Dur Movement, Allisa Wahid, said that diversity is one of the fundamental foundations of Indonesia's birth.

"Gus Dur wrote 'Indonesia exists because of diversity, if there is no diversity there is no need for Indonesia'," Allisa Wahid quoted Gus Dur as saying.

Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas invited all people to make religion as inspiration not as aspiration.

"I invite all of us to make religion as an inspiration not as an aspiration. What does that mean? The simplest thing is that recently we feel that someone is trying to bring religion into the norm of conflict," said Yaqut.

"The norm of conflict is used in the most extreme language, whoever is different from him and his beliefs is considered an opponent, he is considered an enemy, because his name is an enemy, his name is his opponent, must be fought, if the cool term of Mbak Lisa is 'Islamic populism'," he said.

Therefore, Gus Yaqut hopes that everything that threatens the weaving of nationality and diversity can be suppressed as early as possible so that it does not develop so widely that it is difficult to control.

"I don't want, we all don't want, 'Islamic populism' to develop so widely that we are overwhelmed by it, so in that first speech I said let's all make religion an inspiration, not an aspiration," he said.

The gathering was also attended by a number of figures including Pangdam Jaya Maj. Gen. Dudung Abdurachman, DKI Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria, MUI Deputy Chairman Marsudi Syuhud, Chairman of the Muhammadiyah Youth Center Cak Nanto and Jakarta MUI Chairman Munahar Muchtar.

Chairman of the Taklim Kader Council Gus Dur Yenny Wahid, Chairperson of the PGI DPP Pastor Gomar Gultom, Chairperson of the KWI DPP Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Chairman of the Central PHDI Wisnu Bawa Teyana, Chairman of the DPP Walubi Siti Hartati Murdaya and Chair of the Central MATAKIN Budi Santoso Tanuwibowo.