Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairperson of the Indonesian Ulema Council Zainut Tauhid Saadi said the demand for referendums from several regions to separate themselves from the the Republic of Indonesia was a form of historical denial.

"The referendum can disrupt our sense of nationality and diversity, which in turn will threaten the unity of the Indonesian people," Zainut told reporters in Jakarta on Saturday.

He said the demand for the referendum must be rejected because it does not have a constitutional basis and is contrary to the spirit of the Pancasila and Indonesia as a unity.

For this reason, he invited all parties to return to the spirit of the noble agreement of the Indonesian people, who had laid the foundations of the Republic of Indonesia, namely Pancasila.

That way, he continued, the Indonesian nation could survive and avoid the danger of division and remain upright until the end of time.

"Reaffirm the national commitment and solidify the national consensus of the founding fathers that Pancasila and Indonesia are the final form in the life of the nation and state," he said.

Proposals for referendums were heard after the Commander of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), Muzakir Manaf, called for a referendum on Acehnese society.

The former Deputy Governor of Aceh presented the idea of a referendum at the 9th anniversary of the death of the Acehnese mayor, Teuku Muhammad Hasan Ditiro, at the Amel Building, Banda Aceh, Monday (May 27).

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Translator: Eliswan Azly
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti
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