VP to attend Muhammadiyah’s Tanwir meeting

Jakarta-wapresri.go.id Vice President Jusuf Kalla received the visit of the central executive board of Muhammadiyah led by its chairman Haedar Nasir in the Office of the Vice President on Jalan Merdeka Utara, Jakarta on Tuesday (Feb. 7).

Haedar in the meeting invited the Vice President to officially close a forum called Tanwir meeting that will be held on February 24 to 26, 2017 in Ambon, Maluku.

Haedar then explained, the core of Muhammadiyah’s movement is to back up the establishment of the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia and to strengthen the society through cultural and educational basis that emphasize the importance of taking care of Indonesia.

Muhammadiyah, he added, also wished that the government have more progressive policies, especially those related to foreign relations.

“We also hope that the government improve its two main programs in the context of social relationships, namely the agrarian reform and SME empowerment. The programs have also become a concern for us,” said Haedar.

Haedar further said, Muhammadiyah is committed to resolve issues that raise suspicion among the people.

In response, the Vice President asked Muhammadiyah to continue to maintain its efforts in advancing the progress of the people with justice.

“Indeed, there are many economic and social problems that need to be taken seriously together. Related to inequality which has become our major problem, the government is determined to making every effort to redress such an issue,” said the Vice President.

The Vice President further said, this inequality problem seems to recur every 20 years beginning in 1974, then in 1994, causing conflicts in many regions.

“We have to really solve this. Many things, as mentioned earlier, we have to address such as agrarian reform, governance, education, entrepreneurship, and the efforts to make big companies give hands to small companies. We do want our economy to grow, but we also want public participation to increase,” he affirmed.

The Vice President also said that Indonesia’s current condition is better when compared to other Islamic countries that are still experiencing conflict.

“We are lucky as there is no chaos here. This is because we are moderate, so any physical attack will not harm us. However, we must remain vigilant against the emergence of hoaxes,” said the Vice President.

Concluding the meeting, the Vice President expressed his willingness to accept the request to close the Tanwir meeting as long as it does not coincide with the state duties.

Accompanying Haedar during the visit were members of the central executive board of Muhammadiyah, namely Yunahar Ilyas, Anwar Abbas, Hajriyanto Thohari, Muhadjir Effendy Abdul Mu’ti, and Suyatno.

The Tanwir meeting is a Muhammadiyah’s national meeting to discuss national issues and strategic programs initiated during the organizations’ congress (muktamar). It is anticipated that the chairpersons of Muhammadiyah regional offices in 34 provinces and rectors of Muhammadiyah universities throughout Indonesia will attend the meeting.