“Whoever wants to break the nation will be unsuccessful if we pray. Besides, those wanting to create chaos are not religious people,” he said on Saturday after the mass prayer to “save the nation”.

Besides Gatot, the mass prayer was attended by Bukit Barisan military commander Maj. Gen, Lodewyk, North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Rycko Amelza Dahniel, a number of clerics, TNI top officers, North Sumatra and Medan administration officials and Medan residents.

“No traitor will ever live comfortably in this country. If you want to challenge us, be my guest, we have proven our strength against DI/TII [Darul Islam/Islamic Armed forces, Islamists aiming for an Islamic state in Indonesia], Kahar Muzakkar [Darul Islam leader in South Sulawesi], and communists. All of them were foiled because we always pray to Allah,” Gatot said.

Gatot commented on Islamist groups’ plan to hold a third “Defending Islam” demonstration on Dec. 2, saying that if an of the demonstrators committed vandalism or treason, they would face the TNI and National Police.

“My soldiers are ready to carry out jihad to preserve the unity of the republic based on Pancasila [national ideology] and with the support from all people,” he said. (evi)

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