Chrestella Tan – The Bogor administration has been given 60 days to reopen the embattled GKI Yasmin Church, after a government oversight body declared the mayor guilty of "maladministration."

The Indonesian Ombudsman, which is tasked with overseeing public services, said Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto must annul his previous decision to revoke the church's building permit.

"The Bogor mayor didn't show any commitment to implementing the Supreme Court ruling," said Budi Santoso, a member of the body. He was referring to a decision by the court that ordered the church's building site reopened.

"The measures taken by the Bogor mayor represent more of a sociological approach that is not related to the court's ruling," Budi added

The Bogor administration had issued a building permit for GKI Yasmin in 2006, but revoked it two years later, alleging that the church had falsified the signatures required to obtain it. Church members have been forced to hold services on the sidewalk ever since.

In December, the country's top court ruled in favor of GKI Yasmin, annulling the revocation. The city, however, refused to comply for fear that it would spark unrest, and instead offered an alternative location for the church. On March 11, the Bogor mayor revoked the church's building permit for a second time.

During a meeting on Monday with members of the Bogor administration, the West Java government and the Home Affairs Ministry, the ombudsman chastised the city for ignoring the Supreme Court ruling.

"This ignorance could be classified as negligence with regards to the law," Budi said. "Every action taken by the Bogor mayor must be in compliance with the Supreme Court decision." Budi added the mayor's decision to revoke the building permit in March could be classified as "maladministration."

The 60-day deadline to annul the decision is effective from Monday, Budi said. He added that the city government, the provincial government and the ministry were all bound to follow the ombudsman's recommendations.

Bambang Gunawan, the Bogor city secretary, said after the meeting that they were ready to implement the ombudsman's decision.

"God willing, we will follow up on this and try to implement this," he said. "And if we face any obstacles in implementing the recommendations later on, we will consult with the ombudsman. We'll try to do our best."

Under the 2008 Ombudsman Law, the Indonesian Ombudsman can report state agencies that fail to implement its recommendations to the president or the House of Representatives.

Obstructing investigations by the ombudsman is a crime that carries a punishment of up to two years in jail. The United Nations has written to the Indonesian government expressing "concern" about the increasing number of reports of violence and discrimination against religious minorities, specifically mentioning the GKI Yasmin case.