Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – A study conducted by the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) shows that Jakarta, in spite of its image as the most cosmopolitan city in the country, is one of the least tolerant places.
The study, which was conducted in five provinces from October to December last year, found that people in Jakarta faced obstacles in exercising their cultural rights. For the study, ELSAM also included West Sumatra, Yogyakarta, West Kalimantan and Papua.
"Intolerant groups have grown so strong that they have the authority to determine moral standards for people living in the city. In the name of religion and morality, these groups decide the movies, music or discussions to choose from," ELSAM researcher Wahyudi Djafar told a press briefing on Thursday.
The research found that the government's lack of action against these intolerant groups had emboldened them to curtail ever more cultural activities in the capital.
Wahyudi said that the cancellation of American pop sensation Lady Gaga's concert and the breaking up of a book discussion involving Canadian liberal Muslim activist Irshad Manji were examples of cultural setbacks in Jakarta.
The study, which interviewed 50 experts and social and political activists, also revealed that Jakarta is, surprisingly, the second-most dangerous place for citizens to exercise their social and political rights, after the country's easternmost province Papua.
Out of a maximum score of 100, Jakarta only managed 43.75 points, on a par with Yogyakarta, while Papua scored the lowest with an index of 31.25.
According to the study, Jakarta and Yogyakarta recorded equal numbers of complaints of persecution of critics of public policies, in spite of the fact that these cities have some of the best universities and are home to the largest numbers of students and intellectuals.
One of the incidents recorded in the survey was when activists questioning the law on Yogyakarta's special status, which grants the families of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and his deputy Paku Alam the hereditary rights to political leadership of the province, received threats from local officials and vigilante groups.
In Jakarta, the threats against political activism included death threats and attacks on antigraft activists. Politicians were also accused of making threats to criminalize activists.
"This study has shown us that regardless of the broader access to information granted to citizens, the rights of the people to express their opinions on political issues are still restricted even after 15 years of reform," ELSAM director Indri D. Saptaningrum said.
The study also found that of the five provinces surveyed, West Sumatra got the highest score, 75, for freedom of cultural expression. However, the study also showed that West Sumatra scored the highest in terms of religious intolerance. The province scored only 37.5, far below Yogyakarta with 62.5.
West Sumatra is the only province in the country to have prosecuted a self-professed atheist. Alexander Aan, 32, a Minang civil servant who was arrested for blasphemy after he declared himself an atheist on a social media website, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment and a Rp 100 million (US$10,600) fine by the Negeri Muaro District Court in West Sumatra.
Elsam found 33 policies in 15 regencies that discriminated against women and religious minority groups. ELSAM's study found that Papua was the most tolerant province, with 87.5 points.
Dodi Ambardi from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), who supervised the study, argued that politics was to blame for the growing intolerance in West Sumatra. "We found that religious tension results from political competition and this has fallen on religious minorities in the province," he said.
In 2011, human rights watchdog Setara Institute found in a study that West Java was the least tolerant province in the country.
Setara recorded 57 incidents throughout 2011, involving government-endorsed discriminatory policies, instances in which government officials condoned acts of violence against minority groups, the closure of places of worship and religiously motivated killings.