To address the adherents of all six officially recognized religions in Indonesia, when government officials give a speech, they open by giving interfaith greetings: “Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh” (for Muslims), “Om swastyastu” (for Hindus), “Namo buddhaya” (for Buddhists), “Salam kebajikan” (for Confucianists), “Shalom” (for Protestants) and “Salam sejahtera bagi kita semua” (for Catholics). Basically, all express good wishes for the person or people being addressed.

Well and good, but talk about long winded! What’s wrong with saying “selamat pagi/siang/sore/malam” (good morning/day/afternoon/evening)?

If we want to make it inclusive, we should keep it short and secular. Since our independence on Aug....