Hans David Tampubolon and Theresia Sufa, Jakarta, Bogor – Religious Affairs Deputy Minister Nasaruddin Umar says the government has been slow to resolve religious conflicts, particularly the GKI Taman Yasmin case, but stressed that it was being careful to abide by the law.

"When a conflict enters the domain of the law, then the process to resolve it tends to be slow. The government cannot intervene in the law," Nasaruddin told The Jakarta Post by phone on Friday.

"The permission for establishing houses of worship is in the hands of the local administration, while the Religious Affairs Ministry is only responsible for the developmental aspects of religious livelihood."

Nasaruddin was appointed as religious affairs deputy minister, and was specifically tasked with "eliminating possible religious conflicts", during the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

Citing the GKI Yasmin case, Nasaruddin said that the ministry acknowledged the Supreme Court's ruling about the church's legality. "However, we must also note that the court's ruling cannot be directly implemented if there is novum [new evidence] in the case."

The GKI Yasmin case revolves around the Bogor administration's persistence on banning the church's members from conducting religious services in their own church despite the fact that the congregation has received permission to do so from the Supreme Court.

Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto recently filed a lawsuit against the church, alleging that the petition of local consent used by the congregation to gain approval to build the church contained forged signatures.

The Indonesian Ombudsman have issued a statement saying that Diani's new evidence is not relevant because GKI Yasmin produced the signed petition in 2002, whereas the allegedly false petition was dated 2006.

Nasaruddin said that the ministry was also aware of the Ombudsman's statement and would conduct a joint meeting with all related parties to finally resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, several religious figures and local leaders in Bogor deemed that mayor Diani had disrespected the law by ignoring the Supreme Court's ruling.

Alfalakiah Islamic boarding school headmaster K.H. Asep Zulkifar Falak said that Diani had shown that he had bowed to the pressures of the nation's hard-line Islamic groups, many of which had roots in Bogor. "I see indications that there are certain parties who want Bogor to plunge into chaos," he said.

Sindangbarang village head Achmad Mikami Sumawijaya said that Diani had failed to pay attention to the fact that Bogor was an area with many social groups from many communities and therefore, he should have been able to serve all of the residents' interests, including that of the GKI Yasmin members.

"The mayor has been completely unfair to the GKI Yasmin members. This shows that his only concern is obeying the pressure coming from hard-line Islamic groups despite the fact that the GKI Yasmin case has been resolved by the Supreme Court," he said.

Numerous Bogor residents also urged Diani to reopen the church as soon as possible. "The Supreme Court's order to open the church is clear; why won't the mayor comply with that order so that the church members do not need to conduct their sermons on the side of the road ever again?" Yayah, a housewife from Cibuluh, Bogor, said.

Odang Hermansyah, a local fish trader, also said that he hoped Diani would show leadership by allowing the GKI Yasmin congregation to conduct their sermons in their own building. "We have to be able to show tolerance for those who do not have the same faith as us," he said.