Court handling conflicts over sects<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta State Administrative Court has
\nordered the government to suspend the expulsion of two Buddhist
\ndenominations, Majelis Buddhayana Indonesia (MBI) and Sangha
\nAgung Indonesia (Sagin), from the Indonesian Buddhist Council
\n(Walubi), an umbrella organization.<\/p>\n
\"The Jakarta State Administrative Court's decision is valid
\nuntil the internal dispute in Walubi settled,\" Chief Judge
\nBenjamin Mangkoedilaga said in the verdict, a copy of which was
\nmade available to The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Lieus Sungkharisma, who represents the two denominations in
\nthe lawsuit against the government, told the Post yesterday that
\nhe received the court's decision on Dec. 31, 1994, while the
\nverdict was made on Dec. 27.<\/p>\n
He said that the court's judges accepted the reasoning set
\nforth by the two plaintiffs in their lawsuit.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the court began to examine MBI's and Sagin's
\nsuit against the director general for Hindu and Buddhist affairs
\nfor endorsing their expulsion from Walubi at a meeting with
\nWalubi executive board members on Oct. 21, 1994.<\/p>\n
Lieus said that the court was examining the documents and it
\nruled that the plaintiffs' lawsuit was valid.<\/p>\n
Quoting Benjamin, he said the court would continue the legal
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
MBI and Sagin have charged that the government reportedly
\nendorsed the board's decision a week earlier to expel the two
\ndenominations, which have been locked in a power struggle to lead
\nthe board with the other seven denominations.<\/p>\n
The board said the two denominations have refused to sign
\nWalubi's statutes, which were drawn up at the council's last
\ngeneral assembly in December 1992.<\/p>\n
The two denominations, said in the lawsuit that the
\ngovernment, in this case the Director General for Hindu and
\nBuddhist affairs, I Ketut Pasek, did not have the right to
\nintervene in the internal affairs of Walubi.<\/p>\n
They said that the director general, as the patron of Walubi,
\nwas supposed to help solve the dispute in Walubi's executive
\nboard and not to take sides.<\/p>\n
The two denominations also are suing Girirakkhito Mahathera
\nand Budi Setiawan, respectively the Walubi chairman and
\nsecretary-general, the ones who issued the decree expelling the
\ntwo denominations.<\/p>\n
They said that Girirakkhito and Budi violated Walubi's Code of
\nEthics and the Buddhists' pledge declared in 1979, which upholds
\nharmony and non-violent means of solving any internal conflict.<\/p>\n
They said that Girirakkhito and Budi repeatedly made personal
\ndecisions without a plenary meeting of the 13-member executive
\nboard.(imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/court-handling-conflicts-over-sects-1447893297",
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