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More public libraries needed to promote tolerance
Everyone in the community needs to see that they have public libraries as one important capital that belongs to them and the whole community. Thus, public libraries can encourage a warm and open environment of cultural diversity to support tolerance.
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Reading pleasure: The National Library on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta provides reading space for the public. As in Australia, libraries can become meeting points for people from different backgrounds, hence promoting tolerance. (JP/Rafaela Chandra)
I
n our multicultural cities where people from around Indonesia gather, such as Jakarta, we still sense considerable intolerance, as in last year’s presidential election and the earlier gubernatorial election.
Similarly, Yogyakarta, known as a city of students from various regions of the country, surprisingly and sadly ranks 14th of the nation’s 34 provinces in Indonesia on the tolerance index issued last year by the Religious Affairs Ministry. For a place of education and intellectuals, this is deeply alarming.
Intolerance also indicates, among other things, a failure of social inclusion. In a place like Yogyakarta, where people of different ethnic backgrounds come to study, good understanding among people of different backgrounds is mandatory for society to live in harmony and peace.
Failure to understand each other, on the other hand, may lead to a state of chaos. This condition would have been a contributing factor to racist incidences leading to massive demonstrations of Papuan students, including in Yogyakarta.
Mutual understanding can only happen when communication is in place. Although progress in technology has tremendously changed the way we communicate, physical meetings and gatherings remain irreplaceable. Apart from speech, gesture, body language, tone, facial expression and other nonverbal aspects play a much bigger part in communication.
Now, where should such meetings and gatherings take place? The public library is a good option, as it is a neutral, trusted and welcoming place for anyone, regardless of ethnic and religious background, to visit.
Public libraries can act as a secure meeting point of any community interactions, such as discussions, job or research interviews, musical performances, fashion shows or other collaborative projects. Public libraries can also provide a napping corner for patrons who need to rest when juggling activities.
