Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Despite the increasing incidence of religious violence in the nation, the Religious Affairs Ministry does not appear to have any budget for promoting religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue in 2013.
Although the government allotted Rp 20 billion to the ministry to finance interfaith dialogues in 2012, no such allocation has been made in the proposed Rp 41.7 trillion (US$4.37 billion) budget for the ministry for 2013 that has been forwarded to the House of Representatives for deliberation by legislators.
The budget under consideration by lawmakers allocates funds for management; infrastructure; supervision; Islamic education; "guidance" for the Balinese Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic, Christian and Islamic communities; the haj pilgrimage for Muslims, and for "research and development".
Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali told lawmakers on House Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs that the ministry expected to spend 79.67 percent of its budget to finance programs for Islamic education and 7 percent on programs for Islamic community guidance.
The remainder of the budget would be used for "contingency planning", he said. "We plan to allocate 51.07 percent for the salaries of government employees, 37.55 percent to finance priority programs, and only 6.24 percent to finance other programs that are not in our priority list," he said.
In addition to supporting the ministry's 4,457 local offices in 33 provinces, Suryadharma said that the ministry would improve access to madrasah aliyah, high-school level Islamic educational centers, and give financial support to religious-based universities.
A lack of support for interfaith dialogue apparently contradicts the ministry's pledge to promote religious tolerance to strengthen national unity and to protect people from religious-inspired terrorism and radicalism.
During a hearing on Wednesday at the House, Suryadharma was not questioned on the need for interfaith dialogue, although several lawmakers highlighted an urgency to improve relations between the adherents of different religions in the nation.
"There have been many conflicts that seem to have been stirred by religious hatred directed against several Christian churches, the Islamic sect Ahmadiyah, and the Shia community. Therefore, we urge the Religious Affairs Ministry to seriously promote harmony among different faiths, as well as the values of Pancasila," Commission VIII deputy chairman, Gondo Radityo Gambiro, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said, referring to the state ideology.
Lawmaker Asep Ahmad Maoshul Affandy of the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP) suggested that the ministry allocate money for religious organizations that might help promote religious harmony in Indonesia, such as the nation's largest Muslim social groups, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah.
"It's important for the ministry to consider giving funds to other, smaller mass organization because they will effectively deliver religious messages to the people at the grassroots level," he said.