APSN | GKI Yasmin congregation waiting for Jokowi to step in

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GKI Yasmin congregation waiting for Jokowi to step in

Jakarta Globe - November 3, 2014

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Vento Saudale, Bogor – Since 2012, the congregation of Bogor's GKI Yasmin church has held prayer meetings outside the State Palace, to remind the government of the fact that their house of worship remains sealed despite rulings from the Supreme Court and the Indonesian Ombudsman.

Every other week scores of would-be churchgoers head to Jakarta instead, but now, with just over 50 days to go before Christmas, a new president is in office who has vowed to protect the rights of religious minorities.

Bona Sigalingging, a spokesman for the beleaguered congregation, says the prayer meetings in Jakarta were completely ignored by President Joko Widodo's predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The church also invited the then-president to celebrate Christmas together in 2013, but the invitation was not accepted.

Countdown to Christmas

"We're starting to count down to Christmas 2014," Bona told the Jakarta Globe. "Will President Jokowi be a different president from President SBY?" the spokesman added, referring to the two leaders by their nicknames.

Oct. 26 marked the 75th time the congregation prayed in front of the State Palace. But Bona said the meetings will continue until the government opens the sealed church in Bogor and allows the congregation to use it – in line with two Supreme Court rulings in its favor.

The congregation obtained a permit to open the church in 2006, but the permit was revoked by the municipal government after pressure from hard-line Islamic groups. The building consequently was sealed by local authorities in 2010. New players

Bima Arya, who replaced Diani Budiarto as mayor of Bogor this year, has pledged to handle the case differently from his predecessor, and has vowed to resolve the GKI Yasmin dispute.

Another key player in the drawn-out conflict, Suryadharma Ali, this year was also replaced as religious affairs minister by Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, who has promised to protect the rights of religious minorities with a new law.

"The bill will protect everyone's religious rights, especially the rights guaranteed by the Constitution," the minister told a press conference in Jakarta last week. "First, the right to believe in whatever they choose to put their faith in. There should be a guarantee that everyone is free to choose their own religion or belief. Second, the independence for anyone to practice their belief."

'Now it's Jokowi's turn'

According to Bona, the case needs to be settled by the central government because the new Bogor mayor faces strong resistance and key central-level institutions are already involved.

"So far every step taken by [lower-level institutions] has failed, so the president has to take responsibility," Bona said. "How can we just let Bogor be – like it's not a part of the Republic of Indonesia and the Supreme Court and Ombudsman decisions can be safely ignored?"

The spokesman said the president needs to set a proper example for local-level leaders as well as national-level officials, to make clear that in Indonesia the law rules supreme. "President SBY failed to do that, now it's Jokowi's turn to try," Bona said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/gki-yasmin-congregation-waiting-jokowi-step/.