Din Syamsuddin said they had gathered to find the best solution to prevent the state from going bankrupt.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Some national figures gathered at the headquarters of Muhammadiyah Islamic organization here on Thursday on the theme of "Preventing State from Going Bankrupt."

Those attending the meeting included former vice president Jusuf Kalla, Muhammadiyah Chief Din Syamsuddin, Hanura Party leader Wiranto, National Democrat organization chief Surya Paloh, People`s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Chairman Taufik Kiemas, former State Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University rector Asyumardi Azra, former Gajahmada University rector Sofyan Effendi, former economic ministers Rizal Ramli, Bambang Sudibyo and Kwik Kian Gie.

Other figures were culturalist Taufik Ismail, Marwah Daud Ibrahim from the Association of Indonesian Moslem Scholars (ICMI) and former president Abdurahman Wahid spokesman Adhie Massardi.

Din Syamsuddin said they had gathered to find the best solution to prevent the state from going bankrupt.

He said the state was now on the brink of bankruptcy as corruption was rife, the nation`s economic and social conditions plagued by many problems.

"The most dangerous problem is corruptors wielding political power," he said.

He said he hoped the government and the people that had a share in creating the problems to introspect and find a way out of the problems to prevent bankruptcy.

"We must rise," he said.

Asyumardi Azra meanwhile said the country`s corruption index has been rising quite significantly.

"This shows a failure in the enforcement of the law against corruption. Although the law and anti-graft body like the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have been available the law enforcement has not been carried out well," he said.

He said if Indonesia wants to "survive" the laws must be enforced. He said unless laws were enforced, violations would occur such as violations of human rights, economic and social laws.

Not long ago, interfaith figures called for the people to rise to fight the current national bankruptcy marked by increasing intolerance, corruption and the rising number of poor people.

"We must rise and fight against national bankruptcy. It must be carried out jointly," one of the interfaith figures, Ahmad Syafii Maarif, said on May 19.

He said intolerance among different religious groups had been increasing while hard line groups freely spread exclusivism condoning coercion and violence on those they do not like.

The interfaith figures called on public officials to be responsible and work without reserves in leading the nation and would only make policies that are based upon the four national pillars namely the constitution, Pancasila (state ideology), the principles of unity in diversity and the unitary state of Indonesia.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011