A compromise is sought on national education bill

A compromise is sought on national education bill

Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta,
korpur@yahoo.com

There was a strong sense of resentment among the 100
participants of a panel discussion on the national education
bill, organized by the St. Anna Catholic Church in East Jakarta
on Sunday, as speakers such as Mochtar Buchori, a former rector
of Muhammadiyah University, failed to convince them that there
was still a chance to stop the bill.

The resentment was targeted particularly at Article 13, which
states, "Each student has the right to receive religious
instruction in line with his/her religion, and will be taught by
en educator of the same religion as the student." Participants
felt adoption of the bill would lead to the loss of identity for
Catholic and Protestant schools.

These schools are the main protesters of the bill, though
Muslims have also staged rallies -- but to express support for
the bill, given their fear of "Christianization".

President Megawati Soekarnoputri's customary silence has not
helped reassure supporters or opponents of the bill, which has
not helped in the search for a compromise that can bridge the
divide between the two sides. The government apparently does not
realize -- hopefully not because it does not care -- the danger
of the bill at the grassroots level if such prejudices are not
addressed.

Article 13 of the bill has attracted the most attention, while
experts have pointed out more substantial issues -- including the
lofty, unrealistic purpose of education as stated in the bill.
Thus under the circumstances it is hard to expect that the bill
will enable the nation to achieve ideal educational goals. The
law -- if it eventually is endorsed -- may only deepen the
distrust between the two sides.

The bill is still being deliberated by the House of
Representatives (DPR). Muslim-oriented parties like the United
Development Party (PPP) strongly endorse the bill, while major
factions like Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) seem hesitant.

The participants of the panel discussion could not hide their
disappointment when they heard that Vice President Hamzah Haz of
PPP is among the bill's supporters. Their mood reflected the
resentment among the managements of Catholic and Protestant
schools who would be forced by the law, if passed, to provide
Muslim teachers to provide Islamic religious instruction to
Muslim students. Though because their church was bombed by a
group of extremists in 2001, the participants might be more
sensitive to any indication of hostility directed against them.

Currently, all students at Catholic schools are obliged to
attend classes offering Catholic religious instruction, a
practice that has also been long adopted by Islamic schools.
Until the 1980s Catholic and Protestant schools were favored by
middle and upper-class families, including Muslims. However, the
emergence of Islamic private schools and improved public schools
have led to fewer Muslims at Catholic and Protestant schools.

On the Muslim side there is still strong suspicion that
Catholic and Protestant schools use their educational advantages
for their mission of "Christianization", although their argument
is not backed by any data or facts.

Protestants and Catholics oppose the bill because they feel
their advantage in education is their last area of "sovereignty"
from the Islam side. Based on past experience there is a growing
feeling that they are facing more discriminations from the state,
directly or indirectly, because of their religion.

For example, it has become more difficult to obtain a permit
to build a church, and even if a government permit has been
obtained Muslim neighbors often do not allow the construction.
And attacks on churches are increasing.

The fear of Christianization still haunts Muslims, even though
they make up at least 87 percent of the population. Due to his
own fears of the threat posed by Islam, Soeharto hired many non-
Muslims for key government and military posts, a practice he
continued in until the early 1990s, when he began to portray
himself as a Muslim leader. Many Muslims believe they are only a
majority in number but remain a minority in terms of the economy,
which is perceived to be controlled by non-Muslims.

The government should take all necessary measures to ensure
the education bill can accommodate the aspirations of the two
different camps. It will not be an easy task, especially with the
government and the House focused on next year's legislative and
presidential elections.

Politically, it is safer and easier for President Megawati to
support the bill, because if she takes the opposite tack her
opponents could use it to block her in the next year's election.
However, as the head of state the President is obliged by the
Constitution to protect all citizens regardless of their
background.

Furthermore, more attention needs to be paid to the rest of
the education bill. One overlooked example is the article on
academic degrees -- of which Hamzah Haz could be a victim.

Hamzah's oft-doubted honorary doctorate, which he received
from distance-learning American World University in 1998,
reportedly cost a few thousand dollars. The university cannot be
found on the national education ministry's list of accredited
universities, and Hamzah often uses the honorary degree in
official documents. According to Article 60 of the bill, anyone
who uses a degree from an unaccredited university can be
sentenced to up to five years in prison or fined up to Rp 500
million.

Maybe if the Vice President were aware of this legal threat,
he might decide to join Catholic and Protestant schools in
opposing the bill.