Cohabitation

Some newspapers and magazines carried a report recently headlined 'A preacher in Jakarta married a girl illegally'. He is accused of practicing 'kumpul kebo' or co-habitation. It was reported in Surabaya, East Java, that the Surabaya Civil Registry Office refused to register the couple because their religion is Confucianism, and their wedding ritual was conducted in Boen Bio, a Confucian temple in Jl. Kapasan, Surabaya. Then through their lawyer, Trimoelja D. Soerjadi, a winner of the Yap Thiam Hien Award, the couple sued the Office in the Public Administration Court (PTUN) in Surabaya. Should they retain their "co- habitation" status?

Marriage Law No.1/1974 clearly states the couple should marry based on their religious ritual first before being registered in the Civil Registry Office. There was indeed no statement that a couple should marry in any specific religion.

The problem is that Confucianism is deemed an "illegal and un- recognized" religion. Even some government officials regard Confucianism as a non-religion. But President Soeharto has said on many occasions that Indonesia does not recognize the terms legal or illegal religions. All religions should co-exist harmoniously.

ANLY

Surabaya, East Java