Hindu University of Indonesia (UNHI) held a National Seminar entitled “Building National Insight in Tackling Radicalism. Present in this seminar, Vice Rector I Prof. Dr. I Ketut Suda, Prof. Dr. I Ketut Widnya (Director General of Bimas Hindu), Prof. Dr. IB Triguna (former Director General of Hinduism Bimas), the leaders of institutions, lecturers and students.
This seminar presents a number of resource persons. In addition to Secretary General Kemenag Nur Syam, Prof. also present. Dr. Wayan Gelgel (Professor of Legal Sociology), Dr Arie Dwipayana (Special Staff of President), and Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Wisnu Bawa Tenaya (Steering Committee of UKP-PIP).
According to Nur Syam, there are three important things in efforts to tackle radicalism. First, map the challenges of nation and state. These challenges include the potential for radical movements and political challenges. The burning of police offices in Dharmasraya and the 1,500 hostage-taking in Papua is a radical movement fueled by the desire to destroy the joints of the nation’s life.
Nur Syam said that radicalism and extremism are still potential to surprise the Indonesian people about their desire to harm the nation’s consensus in four pillars of nationality: Pancasila, 1945 Constitution, NKRI and diversity. Political challenges will also increase in the coming political year. Common to the general choice of increased political intensity. News hoax will also be strengthened. In this era of cyber war, then our biggest challenge is how to deal with social media that sometimes is not friendly to us.
The second important thing in tackling radicalism is to lay the foundation of nationhood and statehood against the younger generation. They are the connectors of the nation’s leadership. Strengthening character education, according to him, to build awareness of nation and state would be very important.
He said, we who are seniors want to smile in other realms, to see the success of Indonesian society brought by the current generation is learning this. Successful education is Indonesia’s success in the future.
While the third thing is to build religious harmony. Nur Syam rate, currently the equality and tolerance in Indonesia is good. However, the fabric of cooperation among people is still low. He continued, Already Religion Ministry have a program to strengthen cooperation between adherents of religion.
According to Nur Syam, Religion Ministry already has excellent programs in building harmony. The program includes interreligious and internal dialogue between religious communities, interfaith youth camps, and living together in turns from religious followers to each other. He invited students of UNHI could be living together in one time with students UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya in UNHI and vice versa.
Attempts to dampen the radicalism movement is not enough just with hard power as did Densus 88, but also through soft power that is done by all circles of our society. We must work together for this one. So that radicalism can be prevented together for the integrity of NKRI.
By: Ajeng Mufadillah*)