TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Letter: The attack
The recent attack on churchgoers in Bekasi, West Java, is horrifying and I’m utterly disgusted by the events that unfolded
T
he recent attack on churchgoers in Bekasi, West Java, is horrifying and I’m utterly disgusted by the events that unfolded. For years, other countries have developed and openly understand and respect other people’s beliefs.
But for some religious reasons, there are still some fanatic Indonesians out there (the FPI) bashing their own brothers and sisters in the name of religion! I just don’t understand it.
This is part of the reason why many Indonesians, especially those from minority groups, choose to move out of the country and proudly renounce their citizenship.
Everybody in this world longs to live peacefully and lovingly towards one another but this violence has turned your own people away due to a lack of trust and security.
I haven’t been able to trust law enforcers ever since the violence of 1998. As long as this same violence continues to reoccur, it will smear Indonesia’s reputation around the world, breaking our brother/sisterhood relationship.
I don’t blame anybody but the FPI, which is an abrasive and corrosive organization with a narrow mind set.
I don’t really understand politics, and I am not interested in discussing it, but I am interested in what they taught us in primary school during weekly assemblies every Monday and on Indonesia’s independence day on TV “Pancasila”.
I can no longer recall the five principles of Pancasila but I do remember freedom of religion is incorporated among them. Yet some Indonesian terrorists and the FPI rather fill their brains with violence than having to abide with the constitution of Pancasila.
Then, what was the point of standing out in the sun every Monday morning shouting “Pancasila!” I distinctly remember the beauty of those days.
“Deeds and not words are what count the most!” I’m sorry I’m sick of thinking about the riots and all the chaos, the hypocrisy of how rules and things are made in Indonesia.
I was born in Indonesia and it’s a beautiful country. We all love the country, but some Indonesians have left Jakarta for fear and horror that disturbs their peaceful way of life.
If only the FPI could show love instead of baleful attitudes, you could probably attract more peaceful people to your beloved religion. I reckon what goes around comes around.
Marcella
Sydney
