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resident Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo instructed hundreds of newly graduated National Police and Indonesian Military (TNI) officers to be role models in maintaining the unity of the pluralistic nation.

Jokowi made the statement during a graduation ceremony of 389 police cadets and 404 military cadets at the National Police Academy in Semarang, Central Java, on Thursday.

'€œThe President underlined that, as a pluralistic nation, problems in the defense and security sector are becoming more dynamic and complex. Therefore, diversity and differences should not be sources of conflict. Instead, different elements of society should complement each other, given that each has their own strengths and weaknesses, so that they can become tools to maintain the nation'€™s unity,'€ a member of the presidential communication team, Teten Masduki said in a press release on Thursday.

'€œThe President also expects that they [the officers] will be able to display a spirit of harmony and cooperation in carrying out their duties which are getting more complex now,'€ Teten added.

Jokowi was quoted by Kompas.com as saying, '€œI hope that the officers are able to play their role in maintaining the nation'€™s unity'€.

Jokowi made a similar remark on Wednesday night during a briefing of the 739 cadets.

'€œYoung cadets, we will continue to fight as we will face [continuous] challenges, given that Indonesia is home to a pluralistic and diverse society, which often leads to conflicts and violence in terms of horizontal religious issues. The friction must be swiftly resolved while it remains small,'€ he said as quoted by Antara News Agency.

Jokowi'€™s statement was made with the background of the recent fatal conflict between Christian and Muslim groups in Tolikara, Papua, on the first day of Idul Fitri.

The incident occurred despite Jokowi'€™s bold efforts in May to build trust in Papua by opening access for foreign journalists and international organizations to enter the region, as he had pledged during his presidential campaign.

Jokowi has also granted clemency to five Papuan political prisoners, arguing that the government wants all parties to build Papua together using a new approach focused on welfare and development. At that time, the President also ordered the TNI and the police to stop repressive security methods in Papua, saying that engaging in dialogue with the Papuan people was one of the key measures to build mutual trust.

In an effort to further establish peace and interfaith harmony after the Tolikara incident, the President recently hosted a meeting with religious leaders from regencies and the provinces, and a separate dialogue with representatives from various religious organizations at the Palace.