Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won praise from worldwide leaders of the Seventh Day Adventist church who thanked him for providing "wonderful religious liberty" amid the unresolved intolerance that has plagued parts of the country.
"I specifically thank the President of Indonesia for the wonderful religious liberty that is provided to groups who live in Indonesia and we are grateful for that," Ted Wilson, the president of the general conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, told journalists after a meeting with Yudhoyono.
The meeting took place at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base in East Jakarta, shortly after Yudhoyono and his delegation arrived from attending the National Press Day ceremony in Manado, North Sulawesi.
Wilson said his delegation and the President had not discussed intolerant acts and persecution that have affected minority groups in Indonesia. "We focused on trying to help in various ways without involving the church in political activities. We'd like to support the communities, the government, and specially the people, in every way that we can," said Wilson.
The Seventh Day Adventist church's South Asia Pacific president Alberto Gulfan, president for Western Indonesia Syukur Peranginangin, and president for Eastern Indonesia Noldy Sakul also attended the meeting. Yudhoyono's close aide, and senior member of his Democratic Party, TB Silalahi was also among those who attended the meeting.
During the discussion with the press, Wilson also prayed for the journalists who, he said, bore a heavy responsibility in carrying out their journalistic duties and thus needed "special wisdom from God".
"Our Father, I just ask You to give special wisdom and guidance to my journalist friends here. Give them wisdom to know how to do things in the right way and give them the capacity to accomplish their work in journalism. Thank you for their talent. Bless each of them, bless their families, and bless Indonesia. Amen," he said in the prayer.
Indonesia has witnessed numerous intolerant acts against minority religious groups such as the Ahmadiyah and Shia. The congregation of the GKI Yasmin church in Bogor, West Java, for example, has long been struggling to regain their right to use their own church which has been forcefully closed down by the local administration and Islamic radicals.