Indonesia: Religious Violence Backlash Hardens

“For those groups proven to have violated the law, engaged in violence and caused unrest in society, if they need to be dissolved, then ways should be sought to do that in line with the law and democracy.” [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono]

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: The Jakarta Globe
By Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Eras Poke
& Nurfika Osman | February 10, 2011

Kupang. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stepped up his rhetoric against religious violence on Wednesday, saying the law should be used to disband groups advocating its use.

“For those groups proven to have violated the law, engaged in violence and caused unrest in society, if they need to be dissolved, then ways should be sought to do that in line with the law and democracy,” Yudhoyono said at a National Press Day event in Kupang.

He said the violence against members of Ahmadiyah, a minority Muslim sect, in Pandeglang, Banten, on Sunday and Christian churches and a school in Temanggung, Central Java, on Tuesday must not happen again. “If it is allowed, we will regress,” he said.


Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, said the instruction reflected the government’s seriousness in addressing the matter. “Of course, legal procedures must be followed before making any decision,” he added.

However, senior officials meeting in Jakarta later on Wednesday to discuss steps to take following the scenes of mob violence warned that disbanding hard-line organizations was not that easy.

“We must wait and see whether crimes have been committed and any indications are found that certain organizations might be behind them,” said Gamawan Fauzi, the minister of home affairs. “Then we will push for action that will have to start with a warning, then freezing the organization, then disbanding it.”

Reydonnyzar Moenek, a ministry spokesman, told the Jakarta Globe that to dissolve an organization “needs facts and supporting evidence that the group has been disturbing society, and after that we need input from municipal level up to governor level.”

In addition, he said a ruling from the Constitutional Court over whether to dissolve the organization should be sought.

The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy called on law enforcers to focus on the leaders of groups advocating violence. If their actions could be linked to their organizations, then evidence from their trials could be considered in order to dissolve the groups, it said.

However, Anies Baswedan, rector of Paramadina University, was skeptical about the plan. “What is the advantage of dissolving the groups when [members] can still use violence individually as we ‘give’ them space for that? We need to fight the violence, not dissolve groups,” he said.

Instead, he said, existing laws should be used to help police protect communities.

“The president should be at the forefront of the war against violence, and he should guarantee that the police are also protected if they are prosecuted for using force,” he added. “Without firm action against violence, we are violating human rights.”

National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said conflict prevention was a priority. “It’s better for us to take strong action [in anticipation] rather than acting after the fact,” he said.

Meanwhile, Munarman, a spokesperson for the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), which is regularly blamed for promoting violence against religious minorities, was quick to dismiss Yudhoyono’s speech.

“I don’t want to comment because it wasn’t important. Nobody listens [to him],” he said.


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