» 02/27/2012 15:14 INDONESIA Indonesian Red Cross does not give in to Islamist, cross remains in logo by Mathias Hariyadi For Prosperous Justice Party leaders, the symbol is too closely identifiable with the Christian tradition. For Red Cross activists, changing it would mean giving in to fundamentalists. Former Vice President Kalla, a Muslim, had already praised the organisation for its work.
Jakarta
(AsiaNews) - The Indonesian Red Cross (Palang Merah Indonesia or PMI in
Indonesian) will never change the traditional logo that has made it famous around
the world. The statement came following criticism from the Prosperous Justice
Party (PKS), an Islamist party that says that the symbol of a red cross is too
easily identifiable with Christian culture and traditions. Red Cross volunteers
and activists reject the claim, saying that any changes to the logo are
tantamount to giving in to the extremists. For former Vice President Jusuf
Kalla, the demand is baseless.
PMI executive
member Muhammad Muas said the logo was agreed to in the Geneva Convention of
1949, which Indonesia "officially ratified" and must respect.
The symbol is
unrelated to Christianity. "Indonesia is a secular, not a Muslim-based state,"
he explained. It "is a state that respects pluralism".
Jusuf Kalla, a
former vice president in Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first administration, has backed
the current logo in the past.
"We should have
pride in the PMI's red colour," said the devout Muslim from South Sulawesi and
former Golkar leader on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the
organisation in September 2011.
For him, the Red
Cross logo is internationally recognised and respected by all parties in
warzones.
Some experts
suggest that the demand to change the PMI symbol stems from the PKS's desire to
link the Indonesian Red Cross to the Islamic Red Crescent.
