Hera Diani, Jakarta – Although the government has completed the revision of the controversial decree on the establishment of places of worship, Christians are skeptical it will succeed in its aim of improving interfaith relations.
The joint ministerial decree, issued in 1969 by the then home and religious affairs ministers, requires consent of local administrations and residents to build houses of worship. Religious minorities claim the requirement has been used against them in practicing their faith.
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), long an ardent supporter of the decree, welcomed the new version, which is set to be presented to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this week.
The revised version maintains the basic requirement of the original decree, but defines specific prerequisites. It mandates the establishment of the Communication Forum for Religious Harmony (FKUB), consisting of representatives of all religious faiths, to review requests for permits to build places of worship and then provide recommendations to the local government.
The minimum number of congregation members for a proposed house of worship is set at 100, and the plan should be approved by at least 70 local residents of other faiths.
Religious Affairs Minister M. Maftuh Basyuni claimed Friday that "everything has been settled" and there was across-the-board agreement on the revisions. A public awareness campaign about the revisions will begin soon.
Priest Weinata Sairin of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) said his organization was opposed to the decree because practicing religion was every citizen's basic right and should not involve interference from the state.
"We sincerely hope that the joint ministerial decree would not be hastily passed because it remains just as discriminative," Weinata said Sunday. He said there were issues stipulated in the revised decree which the PGI had yet to agree on. The group proposed that the minimum number of congregation members be set at 60 and the approval of 40 locals of other faiths was sufficient.
Weinata also took issue with the requirement that existing places of worships with no permits – as well as those inside malls, hotels, shop-houses and other public places – secure the permit.
"As for the existing places, why don't we just let them proceed with their activities? And if the owners of the buildings are fine with it, then why should they obtain another permit?"
The communion, he said, appealed to the government to be more considerate because there were many minorities. "Don't reduce the right to worship to a mere regulation. The 1945 Constitution clearly stipulates that the government should protect the citizens' religious freedom," he said.
The secretary-general of the Indonesian Committee on Religion and Peace (ICRP), Theophilus Bela, urged the government to revoke the joint ministerial decree because, he said, it was responsible for attacks against churches.
"The joint ministerial decree is against the Pancasila state ideology and 1945 Constitution, as well as human rights. It isn't just but instead has the potential to tear apart religious harmony and limit people from worshiping," he said.
The Indonesian Bishops Conference refused to comment, saying its members would meet before taking an official stance.
Meanwhile, an official of the MUI, Amidhan, said the joint decree was intended to regulate social interaction. "If we don't limit the places of worship, they will be abundant. There would be competition from different religions or sects, and it would create public disorder," he said.
Within the past year, 23 churches (some sources put the number as high as 35) have been closed down in the West Java capital of Bandung and neighboring areas by Muslim hardline groups. The churches did not have permits as required in the joint decree, but had obtained operational licenses from the West Java Religious Affairs Office.
Data released by ICRP showed that more than 1,000 churches nationwide have been destroyed or vandalized because they failed to meet the requirements of the decree.