Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – West Java is among the provinces that worries critics regarding several religiously related regulations – but concerns over the economy and diversity has led to mixed reactions.
Regarding a planned ban on liquor, for instance, lawmakers are split between those who want an absolute ban like in a number of Papua regencies; while others point out the possible effects it may have on the entertainment sector.
"About 80 percent of entertainment spots still rely on liquor. We must protect thousands of workers who would likely be affected if liquor was banned throughout the township", lawmaker Achmad Nugraha said. Last year, the entertainment sector in Bandung listed a contribution of Rp 20 billion (US$2.2 million) from the total muncipality income of Rp 300 billion.
Mayor Dada Rosada said the bylaw on liquor should accomodate the various religious communities in Bandung. "The bylaw should be acceptable to both Muslims and non-Muslims," he said. The planned bylaw was a reaction against various incidents of intoxicated persons, the latest being two female buskers who died after reportedly drinking at a party last July on the town's outskirts.
The planned ban on alcohol has even been rejected by the conservative Islamic group Hizbut Thahrir Indonesia, which cited the apparent double standard for the lawmakers and municipality, as the draft bylaw banned liquor on the streets but allowed it in hotels.
Earlier this month a lawmaker said the main progress in the planned bylaw was that Muslims would not be allowed to buy and consume liquor. The deliberation of the bylaw has thus been stalled by several expressions of rejection from those who want a total ban on liquor in Bandung.
Compared to Bandung, one of the country's major cities, local regulations on morality and individual behavior have found less resistance in West Java's other smaller, more homogenous towns such as Cianjur, Tasikmalaya and Garut.
West Java is known for its devout but liberal Muslims – hosting for instance the sensual jaipongan dance. But in history, it was also the base of the Islamic movement Darul Islam, led by Kartosuwirjo, who aimed for an Islamic state.
Like elsewhere, aspirations to legalize "Islamic" teachings found opportunities after the fall of second president Soeharto.
Cianjur, the first regency that came up with the government campaign of the "Development of a noble society", known by its acronym Gerbang Marhamah, faced criticism from Muslims.
One is the chairman of the Cianjur Islamic Reformist Movement (Garis), Teguh Yoga Permana, who said the concept had fallen flat on its face given the suspected involvement of so many of the regency's officials and lawmakers in a graft case of social welfare funds, amounting to a state loss of more than Rp 2.5 billion from the regency's 2008 budget. Two local lawmakers were already convicted: The former chief of the Democratic Party, founded by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
The failure of the concept "is seen from the behavior of officials and lawmakers, particularly the latter, who have dared to swindle people with their sweet pledges during their campaigns, by stealing state money allocated for the development of mosques, Islamic boarding homes and Koran reading groups," Teguh said.
The sharia-based rules in Cianjur, supported by 35 Islamic organizations, faced its main challenge in 2005, with media reports of a sex scandal involving 11 secondary high school students and a teacher. The government religious campaign continues, with the mandatory Islamic dress code and broadcasting of Koran reading before school time.
"We have experienced an Islamic lifestyle, though maybe only limited to its accessories," said Sulaeman Zuchdi, deputy at the education council in Cianjur regency.
The apparent euphoria over sharia-based regulations in West Java began in 2001 with the issuance of bylaws, circulars and regental instructions in Cianjur, Sukabumi, Tasikmalaya, Garut, Bandung, Karawang, Indramayu, Majalengka and Depok, which borders Jakarta.
They are not officially sharia regulations, and range from mandatory Koran reading skills to an "Islamic" vision in government development plans.
Tasikmalaya Mayor Syarif Hidayat, for example, issued a circular saying that during Ramadan all food stalls, restaurants and entertainment centers must not open for business before 5 p.m.
A number of areas issued bans against prostitution such as in Tasikmalaya, Majalengka, Bandung regency and Bekasi, on Jakarta's eastern border – in part a reaction to the fact that the country's Criminal Code, inherited from the Dutch, criminalizes pimps, not prostitutes.
Irfan Junaidi, a Bandung resident who runs a news portal on Islam-related issues, says authorities and politicians "forgot to apply sharia in a broad sense because of their use of it only for pragmatic interests". He said sharia was difficult to apply with a shortage of role models, given that governance in Islam stresses good governance, a ban on corruption and a clean environment, he said.
Further, as rules are only used by certain Islamic-labeled groups to justify actions against others, he said, "Islam becomes a laughing stock but not the true solution to social problems" as many have been claiming.