Govt Considering Making Bill On Religious Harmony

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The government is considering the making  of a law on religious harmony, according to Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono.

"We are considering the drafting of a Bill on Religious Harmony  in order to have  a clear legal umbrella for the implementation of religious harmony in the field," Agung said here on Friday after chairing a coordinating meeting on religious harmony.

The meeting was attended by Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali and Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi.

The country urgently needed a legal umbrella concerning religious harmony because religious issues were very sensitive and prone to conflicts and other problems, he said.

"To protect  harmony, it's necessary to have  a regulation on prevention and mitigation of religious disharmony," he said.

However, the bill on religious harmony was just a discourse and the government had yet to  hold an in-depth discussion about drafting the bill.

"I can say nothing more because it's still a discourse and it needs in-depth study," the minister said.

The bill was expected to help the government and the public in general keep the harmony.

Indonesia's 237 million population includes the largest Muslim community in the world  as well as followers of other religions such as Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism and Buddhism.(*)