Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Thursday called on supporters of her party to work to assure that Indonesia remains united.
"Whatever happens, this country should never be allowed to break up. There should be no [region] breaking away, and we should remain united," Wahid told some 80,000 supporters of the Indonesian Democracy Party-Struggle (PDIP). They were gathered at the Senayan main sport stadium to mark the party's 27th birthday.
Wahid said that both he and his vice president, pledged to do "all our best" to preserve the legacy of their forebears.
Megawati, who chairs the PDIP, also called on party members and supporters to be prepared to safeguard the unity and cohesion of the nation.
"In this period of prolonged crisis, I am instructing all members of the PDI wherever they are, to sympathisants of the PDI wherever they are, to always safeguard the integrity of the state and the nation," Megawati said.
But she also reminded her supporters that PDIP's way of struggling was "anti-violence" and called on them to hold firmly to the principle of non-violence.
Intermittent rain showered the venue, but failed to dampen the enthusiasm of those present, many of whom had been waiting for six hours.
The ceremony appeared to be geared to extolling the need for religious and ethnic harmony as well as unity.
Erected on the large podium were huge scale models of houses of worship – two churches, a mosque, and a Hindhu and Buddhist temple. Religious leaders representing Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, Hindus and Buddhists each led a prayer for the welfare of the nation.
The first performance was a traditional dance from Aceh, a rich province in the western end of the archipelago where separatism has been on the rise.
It was followed by a song from the Malukus, where a year of Muslim-Christian clashes have left some 1,800 people killed and hundreds of thousands refugees.
A party pledge, which called for national unity and cohesion, was read in turn by a woman from Aceh and a man from Irian Jaya (Papua), another region where independence sentiments are running high.
Present were Armed Forces Chief Admiral Widodo, senior security minister General Wiranto, police chief Lieutenant General Rusdiharjo and House Speaker Akbar Tanjung.
Audi Tambunan, the head of the PDIP's organizing committee, told reporters that some 10,000 party members and supporters had been enlisted to help 1,200 police with security at the event.