Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – There have been more calls to reject the idea of relocating Shiites from their homes in Sampang, Madura, East Java, because it is viewed that such a move will only promote more abuses against minorities.
Following Saturday's rejection by Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD, several lawmakers rejected the government's relocation plan, which aims to protect Shiites from future attacks.
"The 1945 Constitution obliges the government to protect all citizens. Therefore, the government must protect the rights of all people despite the differences of their beliefs," People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy speaker Hajriyanto Tohari said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
"Not only will relocating them violate the rights of the Shia community, it will also put the unity of the nation at stake because it will promote segregation between different groups existing here, particularly between majority and minority groups. We must understand that Indonesia doesn't divide people based on such categories," he continued.
Responding to the National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo, who earlier emphasized that relocation was the best solution toward conflicted groups, Hajriyanto told the police to not submit themselves to the demands of the majority in Sampang, as well as in other places.
"Fulfilling their job to keep the country united is one thing the police must do. Segregating people by relocating the Shia community away from their majority neighbors, the Sunni community, is not even an option," he carried on.
During a meeting with lawmakers recently, Timur said that relocating the Shiites from their village in Sampang was the best and easiest way of protecting the community from similar attacks in the future.
"Relocating the people away from that environment is the easiest way. People will have no communication with their neighbors, which has continuously stirred conflict between the two," Timur said in response to lawmaker Martin Hutabarat from the Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra), due to his commission's findings after a working visit to Sampang on Aug. 30 that the Shia community had refused relocation.
Lawmaker Saan Mustofa from the Democratic Party condemned Timur's statement. "It seems that the police want to solve the conflict instantly and neglect the core problem. As the latest attack against the Shia community [in Sampang] was the second, the police must search for the root of the problem and prevent it from reoccurring, " Saan said.