Independent Report – The Chairman of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR RI), Ahmad Muzani, stated that Indonesia has experienced various upheavals in the past due to ideological and vision differences between the central and regional governments. President Prabowo Subianto has learned from these experiences to ensure that such conflicts do not happen again in the future.
He made this statement while attending the World Muslim League Conference titled “Towards Effective Islamic Unity” in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in the evening local time. According to Muzani, President Prabowo prioritizes national unity because it is essential for development and the management of Indonesia’s natural resources. The success of these efforts depends on cooperation between the people and their leaders.
“For President Prabowo, unity is everything. All wealth, natural resources, and any form of development will only succeed if we remain united. That is what President Prabowo Subianto is striving for. That is why he is currently promoting free nutritious meals for all students and Islamic boarding school students across Indonesia,” Muzani said in a statement received on Friday, March 7, 2025.
“The target of this nutritious meal program is to provide food for 82 million children every day. This is our effort to enhance Indonesia’s human resources for the future. We want Indonesia to be a strong nation, a healthy nation, an intelligent nation, and a nation that can stand on equal footing with others,” he continued.
According to Ahmad Muzani, religion, particularly Islam, plays a crucial role in fostering unity.
“We fully recognize that religion provides encouragement for this unity. Islam promotes the spirit of togetherness. We also acknowledge that Islamic values are noble and significant. Therefore, we must remain confident that with the spirit of Islam, Indonesia can unite and become as strong as other nations,” he explained.
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At the beginning of his speech, Muzani emphasized the critical role of Pancasila as the foundation of the state, which served as the basis for Indonesia’s independence. He explained that during the early days of independence. National leaders engaged in intense debates on whether the state’s foundation should be based on Islamic values, nationalism, or secularism. Eventually, Pancasila was chosen as a middle ground to unify these differences within the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
“For months, our leaders, national figures, and even religious scholars debated to determine the foundation of the Republic of Indonesia. After long discussions, we reached a consensus and formulated a middle ground, which is Pancasila. Pancasila serves as a bridge to unite us, as we are a nation with diverse roots,” he said.
Muzani noted that Indonesia is currently the second-largest Muslim-majority country in the world. Out of its 280 million citizens, around 230 million are Muslims, constituting approximately 87 percent of the total population. Indonesia’s vast diversity, consisting of 17,000 islands, 13,000 ethnic groups, and 700 languages, reflects the country’s rich cultural heritage.
Muzani further stated that these differences are not a source of division but rather a unique identity and an asset for Indonesia. This diversity has ultimately been united through a single language—Indonesian. Which originates from the Malay language family and serves as a symbol of national unity.
“The first bond we established was through a common language. Among us, we agreed to adopt the Malay language family as our unifying language. A language that was not the majority language became the language of unity. This was the origin of the Indonesian language, which is now used by all Indonesians,” Muzani explained.
This conference also featured speakers such as the Secretary-General of the World Muslim League. Muhammad Abdul Karim Al-Isa, along with grand muftis, scholars. And senior imams from member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
This event marks the second time the conference has been held, following the first one, which was themed “Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools of Thought.”
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