Promote More Tolerance

Indonesia\'s intolerance index has continued to rise. The current parameters indicate that Indonesia is vulnerable and easily "manipulatable” to a variety of political interests.

KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN

A woman walks past a wall graffiti bearing the Garuda national emblem and the five points of state ideology Pancasila on Sunday (2/2/2020) in Pasar Minggu, Jakarta.

Kompas published a report on intolerance in the country on 16 Nov. 2017. A little more than two years later, this daily reported that acts of intolerance still occurred in many regions. In fact, the intolerance in a number of regions indicated a power imbalance based on religious sentiment. People of all faiths are vulnerable to becoming victims of intolerance (Kompas, 3/2/2020).

The intolerance that occurs in our society is based not only on religion, but also ethnicity, race, and societal groups. Acts of intolerance occur at times of economic inequality and unequal access to social welfare, as well as other social aspects. One way to suppress intolerance is by developing social justice. However, this is no easy task.

Moreover, as the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reported in 2019, democracy is linked to tolerance. Indonesia’s ranking among 165 countries measured in the Democracy Index remained stagnant last year, scoring 5.59 in civil liberties. The index uses a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 indicating full democracy. Civil liberties comprise the indicators of tolerance and religious freedom, as well as religious and racial discrimination. The four other categories are electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation and political culture.

The EIU\'s findings correspond with a Pew Research Center survey indicating that the level of intolerance in Indonesian society has continued to increase since 2007. Indonesia is also vulnerable to radicalism. The Wahid Foundation\'s 2018 Religious Freedom and Belief Report shows that destruction of houses of worship is one of the 10 prominent acts of intolerance, in addition to closures and restrictions.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

A ride-hailing motorcycle driver transports his passenger past a banner on Saturday (1/2/2020) on Jl. Kesehatan Raya in Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta. The banner calls for national unity to prevent the spread of radicalism, anti-Pancasila views and terrorism.

Intolerance is not just an Indonesian problem, but a longstanding one that also affects many other countries. Philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) wrote A Letter Concerning Toleration in 1689, which was followed by A Second Letter Concerning Toleration a year later.

Tolerance, which derives from the Latin tolerare, means “enduring something with patience”. In Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language), “toleransi” derives from “toleran” that means to tolerate (respect, allow, permit) standpoints (opinions, views, beliefs, habits, behaviors, etc.). Tolerance takes patience, and we must not grow tired of fighting for the realization of tolerance in this country.

It is not easy for Indonesia to promote tolerance among its diverse citizens. This nation is made up of about 265 million people of different religions, races, ethnicities, languages, economic levels, and education. However, the nation’s founders developed an extraordinary agreement with the motto “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” – Unity in Diversity. The 1945 Constitution confirms that Indonesia is a nation united and tolerant. Therefore, it is the duty of every citizen to fight intolerance.