Church row

With great interest I read the article Conflict-ridden Batak Church suspends former bishop in The Jakarta Post of March 13, 1994. I am rather surprised, however, at the allegation of HKBP General Secretary S.M. Siahaan that "the new executive board has the support of 98 percent of the church's followers."

Maybe it is different in Asia, but in Europe only dictators boast of percentages like 98 percent. That is why I am distrustful of Mr. Siahaan's allegation. But what is more important: Everybody who does not just listen to Mr. Siahaan's statements, but visits HKBP congregations, talks to the church members and notices what is going on with his own eyes, is aware that the reality is quite different from what Mr. Siahaan claims. A great percentage of HKBP members decline to support the new church leaders.

Has Mr. Siahaan lost his sense of reality? Or does he fail to tell the truth on purpose? Both things will not recommend him as a religious leader. But it seems worse to me that a tremendous number of HKBP members assume Mr. Siahaan's tell lies. "You cannot believe him," they say.

Furthermore, Mr. Siahaan accuses Dr. S.A.E. Nababan of securing financial assistance from Germany. That sounds rather absurd as it is known that the new church leaders themselves requested financial support from abroad. Their problem is that they are denied any support.

For all I know there is not a single Christian church all over the world that acknowledges the new HKBP leaders because of the manner in which they came into power and their violent actions that are not considered to be the Christian way of acting. The new church leaders have led their church into isolation hitherto unknown within worldwide Christianity.

"There is only one leadership of the HKBP," Mr. Siahaan says. I do hope he is right, but the fact is that a great part of his own church members do not want him to be one of their leaders. "He does not lead HKBP, but destroys it," they say. I cannot believe that this is what the Indonesian people want to happen.

It is not the enemies, but the friends of Indonesia that follow the situation of HKBP with deep concern. Everyone who loves the country, admires its stability, respects Pancasila as a basis of a human society and regards the Indonesian constitution as a very good one, asks himself: Why are the church leaders allowed to act the way they do? Christians all over the world that love the Batak people want HKBP to once again become a respected member of the Christian community.

REV. RAINER OLLESCH

Krefeld-Huls

Germany