Closing Muhammadiyah’s Tanwir meeting, Vice President encourages innovations to achieve equitable progress

Ambon, Maluku-wapresri.go.id Vice President Jusuf Kalla said, justice is an important determinant of a nation’s progress.

“With innovation, working smart, [and] by incorporating science in [our] works, we will achieve equitable progress,” said the Vice President when officially closing the 2017 Muhammadiyah’s Tanwir meeting 2017 taking the theme “Sovereignty & Social Justice for Progressive Indonesia” held  at Ambon Islamic Center in Maluku on Sunday (Feb. 26).

The Vice President added, it is true that hard work is the key to progress, but it must be combined with knowledge to generate innovations.

He further said, today there are outstanding inequalities between developed and developing countries. Even internally, there are inequalities existing in the countries too.

The theme of this meeting, the Vice President then said, is thus quite timely since although “social justice” has been stipulated in the fifth principle of Pancasila (the Five Principles), the principle that is the hardest to implement.

“The theme is very urgent, not only to talk, but also to implement as well as possible,” said the Vice President.

Concluding his remarks, the Vice President hoped that decisions reached in the Tanwir meeting be immediately implemented.

Earlier, in his speech, the Governor of Maluku Said Assagaff said, although President Jokowi had officially opened the Tanwir meeting, the presence of the Vice President is still awaited since the Vice President has emotional closeness with the people of Maluku, particularly Ambon city.

As is well known, the Vice President played a very important role in resolving conflict in Ambon in the past, and he was even made ‘an Honorary Citizen’ of Ambon.

Said further said, this Tanwir meeting is a good moment to strengthen friendship and unity among Indonesian who are coming from diverse ethnic groups.

Diversity that exists today, he continued, has become a cultural identity of the citizens of Maluku since a long time ago.

Meanwhile, Muhammadiyah chairman Haedar Nasir in the same event conveyed his appreciation to the Vice President for his contribution towards the realization of Said Tuhuleley floating clinics in Maluku.

“Currently, there have been three more floating clinics funded by the community, as the people follow the footsteps of Pak JK (nickname for Jusuf Kalla –red),” said Haedar.

He then asserted that Muhammadiyah is committed to protecting the integrity of the nation.

“Muhammadiyah will remain committed to building this nation with the spirit of progressive Islam,” he said.

The Vice President’s visit to Ambon is the beginning of a series of working visits which is slated to last until February 28, 2017.

After visiting Ambon, the Vice President will continue his working visit to Makassar, Surabaya, and Mojokerto in East Java province.

Also attending with the Vice President were Mrs. Mufidah Jusuf Kalla, Head of the Secretariat of the Vice President Mohamad Oemar, Deputy for the Policy Support of Human Development and Equitable Development Bambang Widianto, Special Staff to the Vice President on Bureaucratic Reforms Azyumardi Azra, and Special Staff to the Vice President on Communications and Information Husain Abdullah.