Draft education bill and civilization in the state<\/p>\n
Aleksius Jemadu, Director, Centre for International Studies,
\nParahyangan University, Bandung<\/p>\n
One of the most controversial issues in the education bill
\nconcerns state intervention in religious instruction at schools.
\nArticle 13 (1), for instance, states that each student has the
\nright to receive religious instruction in accordance with his
\nrespective faith. The fact that such a particular right is
\nspecifically endorsed by law shows that the state will have
\narbitrary power to set the modalities of how religious
\ninstruction is conducted in schools.<\/p>\n
While there is no doubt about the importance of religious
\ninstruction for the development of good character in society,
\npeople wonder whether there is indeed a positive correlation
\nbetween an accumulation of religious knowledge at school and good
\nconduct of students as members of society. Moreover, the
\nbureaucratization of what otherwise would be the legitimate realm
\nof the private sector could be misused by state officials for
\nsecuring their secular political and economic interests. Has the
\neducation bill anticipated that possibility?<\/p>\n
There is a growing tendency today for the state to resume its
\ncontrol over the public sphere at the expense of universal
\ndemocratic principles and human rights. Politicians both in the
\nexecutive and legislative bodies have continued to act on behalf
\nof the state to restrict public participation in finding
\nsolutions to the nation's grave problems. For instance, the
\ngovernment's decision to use military force in Aceh may not only
\nincrease human casualties but also kill people's initiative to
\nsolve their own problems. Endless political bargaining among
\npoliticians has rendered the war against corruption ineffective
\nand laughable.<\/p>\n
With the collapse of Soeharto's authoritarian regime,
\nIndonesia liberated itself from a political leader who possessed
\na great skill in abusing religion to strengthen his grip on
\npower. Without effective public control, the bureaucratization of
\nreligious instruction will also lead to the same phenomenon of
\nthe politicization of religion. If this means that the state has
\nfound its way back to the distinctive realm of the private
\nsphere, then something has to be done to rescue the
\ndemocratization project. We have to avoid pouring new wine back
\ninto old wineskin.<\/p>\n
In his book titled Civil Islam Robert W. Hefner argues that in
\naddition to the role of culture and civic organizations the
\ngrowth of a democracy also depends on "the creation of a
\ncivilized and self-limiting state". Hefner also points out that
\n"civil society is not opposed to the state but deeply dependent
\non its civilization". From a democratic point of view it would be
\na tremendous setback if the legislators in charge of deliberating
\nthe education bill fail to stop state intervention, strongly
\nendorsed in the bill.<\/p>\n
We leave it up to the legislators to judge honestly whether
\nthe education bill will be able to promote a strong civil
\nsociety or not. Their failure in giving their judgment will
\ntrigger disunity in society.<\/p>",
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