Anita Rachman – Religious figures have urged the presidential candidates, their campaign teams and supporters to cease politicizing religion, saying it was demeaning and had the potential to create conflict among people of different faiths.

Richard Dauley, general secretary of the Indonesian Council of Churches (PGI), speaking during an interfaith dialogue on Thursday, said several leaders had witnessed political parties using religion to mobilize the masses.

"So far [the religious slurs] have taken different forms and intensity. For instance, some have made an issue of the religion of a certain candidate's wife. It would be best to leave religion out of politics."

He said that religion was the easiest tool to motivate people because it was linked to emotion, which was "a cheap commodity that could lead to conflict among people of different faiths."

Richard said that once people brought God into the political arena, they were demeaning religion.

The meeting put the leaders of Muslim, Catholic, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Confucian faiths on the same stage. Together they urged their followers to select without outside influence whomever they felt would be the best leader for the nation.

Other religious figures such as Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest Islamic organization, and Amidhan, chairman of Indonesian Council Ulema (MUI), also addressed the election issue.

Din said although the "religion of a candidate's wife" was an issue first carried by the media, he had noticed that it had been taken up by the campaign teams of certain candidates.

Richard said that in a country like Indonesia – where religion plays an important role – exploitation of religion had happened "during the election through the use of religious symbols."

Richard said that "religion exploitation" occurred in every party, saying that "even those parties claiming to be nationalists have religious wings."

Amidhan stated that although there was not much time before votes were cast, "smart" voters would be able to differentiate between candidates and choose the right leader for the next five years.

Din said that he had followed the election campaign with concern. He stated that he saw many posters in several provinces in which the candidates used religious jargon, such banners proclaiming parties or individuals to be the true Islamic leader.

He said that although religion had been politicized, "it was alright if the candidates used religion to enlighten the public, or used religious ethics or moral values. That's a different thing," he said.

The forum urged all the candidates to be fair and honest, saying that dishonesty would only lead to dishonest leadership.