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Anti-Pancasila organizations cannot operate in Indonesia: Minister
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Against Pancasila: Female members of hard-line Islamic organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) stage a rally to promote the establishment of a caliphate in Malang, East Java. (Kompas.com/File)
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oordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said on Monday that any organizations that did not recognized the nation's founding principles of Pancasila would not be allowed to operate in the country.
"We want to make sure that no organizations, not just the HTI [Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia], exist in the country if their activities are clearly against the Constitution, Pancasila and the [principle of] NKRI [Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia] or if they threaten the nation's sovereignty, even if they have a permit," Wiranto told reporters at his office in Central Jakarta.
His office said last week that it would ban the hard-line HTI on the grounds that it promoted the establishment of a pan-Islamist government, which contradicted the pluralistic principles of Pancasila.
The HTI has claimed that any form of government other than a caliphate, particularly democracy, a system that Indonesia adopts, is un-Islamic and therefore forbidden according to its interpretation of Islam.
"Just wait for the right time," Wiranto said when asked about the ban.
"It's just been a few days [since we announced the HTI would be banned]," Wiranto said. "What is definite is that we are being consistent with what I said [about banning the HTI]."
