Education bill poses problems<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Massive demonstrations for and against the controversial
\neducation bill continued on Friday with warnings that its
\nendorsement will pose a serious threat to national unity.<\/p>\n
In observance of the National Education Day that falls on May
\n2 annually, thousands of students and teachers in Jakarta and
\nother cities nationwide hit the streets to express their stances
\non the bill.<\/p>\n
A group representing a Muslim school strongly urged the House
\nof Representatives and the government to endorse the bill, while
\nanother, which grouped several Christian and Catholic schools,
\nexpressed their opposition to it. The latter group also warned
\nthat the disparity in the response to the bill reflected upon the
\nconsequences of its endorsement, and that it could endanger the
\nlong-standing national unity.<\/p>\n
Around 500 protesters from the West Java Commission on
\nEducation (KPPNJB) in Bandung opposed the bill, saying that it
\nwould threaten the country's pluralistic nature.<\/p>\n
\"The bill is a potential threat to the country's pluralistic
\nnature and its freedom, and it neglects the poor's right to
\neducation,\" Salomo Marbun of the committee said.<\/p>\n
In the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, hundreds of Muslim
\nstudents marched in opposition to the bill, saying that it
\ninvited imperialists to Indonesia, as it allows foreign
\ninvestment in the education sector.<\/p>\n
The protesters also said that the bill was undemocratic, as it
\nfailed to accommodate the interests of all groups.<\/p>\n
The bill, the endorsement of which has been delayed for
\ntechnical reasons, has sparked sharp criticisms and strong
\nopposition from numerous groups for several contentious articles.<\/p>\n
For example, Article 13 of the bill requires all schools to
\nprovide religious instruction to students according to the
\nstudents' respective faiths, no matter the denomination of the
\nschool.<\/p>\n
Christian and Catholic schools, their students and teachers
\nhave expressed their objection to the bill, which they said would
\nthreaten national unity. They accepted the fact that all citizens
\nhave a right to religious education, but they disagreed with
\neducational institutions being given the responsibility.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has maintained her silence on
\nthe controversial education bill that has caused a heated polemic
\namong the people.<\/p>\n
Attending the celebration of National Education Day at an
\nelementary school in Subang, West Java, on Friday, Megawati gave
\nno comments on the issue, but insisted on the importance of
\nreligious instruction or ethics in the curriculum to
\ncounterbalance the other sciences.<\/p>\n
\"Education should provide a balance between intellectual
\ncapability, and emotional and spiritual maturity, which should
\nbegin with studying religious and moral values,\" Megawati said in
\nher address at the celebration.<\/p>\n
The President also spoke with students of Angkasa elementary
\nschool, where the ceremony was held, asking them about the
\ncountry's founding president Sukarno, her father.<\/p>\n
Responding to the continuing protests, Minister for Religious
\nAffairs Said Agil Munawar called on all sides to sit together to
\ndiscuss the bill, saying that the bill was final, but that the
\ngovernment would provide special religion instructors.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, eight youth organizations of different
\ndenominations, as well as a nationalist organization, said in a
\njoint statement on Friday that education should be based on the
\nnationally accepted principle of religious pluralism.<\/p>\n
\"The bill, which lacks a clear vision on national education,
\nwill only raise antipluralism among students and finally cause
\nnational disintegration,\" they warned.<\/p>\n
The bill has also raised debate among religious figures,
\neducation experts and politicians. The bill has won support from
\nhard-line Muslim groups, but it has sparked strong opposition
\nfrom non-Muslim communities and moderate Muslim groups, who said
\nit could pose a serious threat to the religious harmony toward
\nwhich all religions had worked for many years.<\/p>\n
Education expert Conny Semiawan also warned that an anti-
\npluralistic bill could create social and religious disparity in
\nsociety, because its implementation would likely cause
\nantipluralism among students and religious communities.<\/p>\n
\"Such a split may happen, and it's very bad for our
\nmulticultural country to be trapped in such a situation.
\nEducation should unite a country, not split it,\" Conny told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
She further underlined the importance for all parties to once
\nagain gather and discuss the bill.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Thursday, Megawati's party, the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), rejected the bill,
\nsaying that it violated the amended 1945 Constitution.<\/p>",
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