Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Politics is not just a series of sometimes "dirty", compromises or "strategies" for power, as has become increasingly ingrained in popular imagination. In fact it is the daily administration of "public affairs" and directly touches the lives of citizens. This is why Indonesian Catholic businessmen and personalities should not be "traumatized " by the word " politics", on the contrary , "it should become our main source of concern." So says Harry Tjan Silalahi , a leading member of the Centre of Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS ) , based in Central Jakarta. " As Catholics - he said during a public meeting in front of dozens of faithful - we can no longer hide , even more so now that all aspects of social life are controlled and managed by politicians in Parliament and the government."
The forum (pictured) was promoted and organized by Kaj Pukat - an association established by the Archdiocese of Jakarta which brings together local businessmen- November 1 last, to discuss the general elections scheduled for 2014. In the vote the new president and the future executive will be chosen. For many Indonesians this is a "crucial " year because the new head of state will have to address the economic, social and religious issues for the next five-year period 2014-2019 .
Although
today it is still very difficult to identify the next public figure that will
be called to lead the nation , the Catholic leader Tjan Silalahi can already
outline some fundamental "pre -requisites". "He must be a nationalist
figure - he explains - and a man for all, including religious minorities
." He
looks to the current governor of Jakarta, Joko " Jokowi " Widodo and
the former head of the Special Armed Forces January Prabowo Subianto . However,
he adds , the first lacks a real " political machine " that can support
his nomination , while the second is haunted by uncertainties over a coalition partner.
Another analyst CSIS , J. Kristiadi,
calls for a greater political participation of Christians, who should not, in
his opinion, have " the syndrome of inferiority complex " , as
members of a religious minority . If
there are prominent personalities and with the right caliber why - he adds -
"should we feel inferior" and give up active participation. Their
thoughts went to Kasimo Ignatius Joseph (1900-1986) , former president of the
Catholic Party and Commerce Secretary under
President Sukarno , in November 2011 declared a national hero . In
spite of his physique , they explain, he was a giant of politics and a similar
figure is lacking in the current political landscape . For
this reason the Church works and will work in the near future for the formation
of a Catholic ruling class, which can contribute actively to the development of
the country.
Indonesia
is the most populous Muslim nation in the world. Catholics are a small minority
of about seven million people, or 3 per cent of the population. In the
Archdiocese of Jakarta, the faithful reach 3.6 per cent of the population. Although
the constitution recognises religious freedom, Catholics have been the victims
of violence and abuse, especially in areas where extremist visions of Islam are
entrenched, like Aceh. Still, Catholics are an active component in society and
contribute to the nation's development as well as to emergency operations when
they arise, as was the case in last January's devastating floods.