President tells families to fight ideology of terror

Jakarta (Antaranews Bali) - President Joko Widodo spoke about the cruelty of terrorism at a fast-breaking gathering with officials of state institutions, cabinet ministers and business leaders at the state palace here on Friday.

"I wish to speak a bit about the terrorism in the police`s Mobile Brigade Headquarters (in Jakarta), in Surabaya, Sidoarjo and Riau," he said.

"I wish to say that children have been involved in the recent incidents. What I wish to underline is how cruel and vile the ideology of terrorism is that it has brought children to the field for operations," he said.

He reminded all that the terrorists` ideology had already entered families. "We hope there will be no more families in Indonesia being devastated because of this ideology," he said.

Families had to build optimism among the children and not teach them the ideology of terrorism, the President said. "Families must build optimism among children, give them good marks, teach them civility and not the opposite. Everything will vanish if it is ideology of terrorism that is being taught," he said.

The fast-breaking gathering was attended by the Supreme Court chief judge, Hatta Ali, the House Speaker, Bambang Soesatyo, the chairman of the Regional Representatives Council, Oesman Sapta Odang, the TNI (military) commander, Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, the Istiqlal Mosque imam, Nazaruddin Umar, the Islamic figure, Din Syansuddin, the general chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB), Muhaimin Iskandar, the Deputy Speaker, Fadli Zon, and business leaders from Kadin (chamber of commerce), Hipmi (entrepreneurs association), and Apindo (employers association). (WDY)