"Islam is a faith while Pancasila is the ideology for our nationhood and statehood. They are not contradictory to one another," he told ulemas and santris (students) of the Al Baqiyatussholihat Islamic Boarding School here on Monday evening.
Reiterating his belief that Pancasila does not contradict Islam, Amin, the running mate of incumbent President Joko Widodo to compete with the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno pair in the upcoming presidential race, warned of the danger of ideological conflicts.
In several countries, the ideological conflicts have been ripping them apart. "As a result of these ideological conflicts, the armed conflicts occur and they cannot easily be resolved," he said.
Luckily, in Indonesia, these sort of ideological conflicts do not exist thanks to the ulemas' role in making Islam and Pancasila remain in harmony in religious life and statehood, Ma'ruf Amin said.
"Thus, choosing Islam or Pancasila? We choose both. Why? Pancasila is related to the matters of nationhood and statehood. Instead, Islam is related to religiosity and 'Aqidah' (Islamic creed)," he said.
Amin also warned that the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia has been final as a result of concensus of all elements of the nation and state.
Regarding the 2019 Presidential Elections, due to be held on April 17, he called on the entire santris to cast their votes for the Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Ma'ruf Amin pair.
"I appeal to you all because I am appointed by Mr.Jokowi to become his running mate," he added.
As part of the 2019 presidential elections, the General Elections Commission (KPU) has allowed the two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates to conduct open campaign trails from March 24 to April 13.
Besides the trails, the KPU will also organize five rounds of presidential debates.
The first and second presidential debates were held on January 17 and February 17, 2019, respectively, during which the two presidential candidates shared their views and perspectives on issues pertaining to law, corruption, terrorism, the environment, and infrastructure.
The third debate, organized on March 17, drew focus on educational, employment, health, as well as social and cultural issues, while the fourth debate was held on March 30, during which Jokowi and Prabowo debated over issues pertaining to security and defense, administration, ideology, and international relations.
The presidential debates and open campaigns are expected to offer a clear picture of the capacity and capability of the two pairs to some 192 million eligible voters.
With sufficient information that the eligible voters obtain from the debates and open campaign trails, they are expected to be able to cast their votes rationally.
Translator: Anita P, Rahmad
Editor: Gusti Nur Cahya Aryani
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
