MINISTER CONVEYS GREETINGS TO HINDUS ON SECLUSION DAY

Jakarta, March 15 (ANTARA) - Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali conveyed greetings to Hindus in the country on the occasion of their Seclusion Day and the commencement of the Caka New Year 1932 on Tuesday.

In his speech to mark the events on Monday the minister said for Hindus the two events were very important because they provided a momentum for introspection and learning the essence of self-control for achieving the supreme level of humanism.

"I hope the values of Seclusion Day are observed and implemented as a reference for developing relationships with God, people and nature," he said.

Make Seclusion Day a momentum to do what is right and useful and avoid what is bad and destructive, he said.

The minister said the development of a prosperous, advanced, just community must become the agenda and interest of all religious communities.

He said to find a solution to various development challenges, dynamisms and escalations required the participation of all community members.

Within this framework , he said, moral development should be the concern and care of all parties.

"Despite religious and cultural differences we can contribute positively to strengthen the unity and cohesiveness of the nation by respecting each other, being tolerant and maintaining inter-religious harmony," he said.

Ignoring the values of religious teachings would cause discrepancies in the national growth while disruption in inter-religious relationship could hinder the development of national unity, he said.

The minister called on all religious leaders to always develop peace among all religious followers so as to create a more respectful life.