Interfaith figures call for review of education bill

Interfaith figures call for review of education bill

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Leaders of various religions on Sunday jointly urged the House of
Representatives (DPR) to delay endorsing the much-debated
national education system bill and suggested that more
discussions be held to settle controversy surrounding the bill.

The interfaith leaders asserted that national unity and social
harmony would be jeopardized should the lawmakers insist on
passing the bill into law as it is.

The House has arranged a plenary session on June 17 to seek
lawmakers' final say on the bill, but members of House Commission
VI in charge of discussing the bill have demanded that the
session take place on Tuesday.

In what the legislators described as a "compromise", the House
steering committee recently set a June 10 date for the plenary
meeting.

"The bill defies the pluralism of religion, faith, and culture
of the Indonesian people," secretary-general of the Indonesian
Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP) Musdah Mulia said,
reading out a joint statement here.

Present at the press briefing were, among others, philosopher
Franz Magnis Suseno, Buddhist preacher Sukimo, legislator and
educationist Mochtar Buchori, sociologist Thamrin Amal Tamagola,
National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) deputy
chairperson Zoemrotin K. Soesilo, Indonesian Women's Coalition
for Justice and Democracy activist Dian Kartikasari and Muslim
scholar Ulil Abshar Abdalla.

Former president Abdurrahman Wahid was scheduled to address
the briefing, but failed to show up.

It was the latest appeal to lawmakers to delay the endorsement
of the national education bill, pending revision of its
controversial contents.

"Our joint statement today clarifies the distorted image that
the ongoing debate on the national education bill is a dispute
between Muslim and non-Muslim groups," Ulil said.

Arguments and rallies for and against the bill center on the
government's intervention in education and the requirement for
schools to provide religious instruction for students according
to their respective faiths.

Ulil acknowledged the interfaith leaders did not offer a
solution to the contentious issues. The group, Ulil said, focused
on pressing the lawmakers to delay endorsement of the bill.

Thamrin of the University of Indonesia asked the media and the
public not to be consumed by the debate on the issue of religion.

"We should not make a partial revision. Since the concept
adopted in the bill is different from ours, we ask for more time
to deliberate the bill," Thamrin said.

Legislator Mochtar Buchori who joined in the deliberation of
the bill meanwhile said that he was among the few legislators who
were against the bill.

"The way the legislators think defies common sense. There are
some lies inserted in the bill," Mochtar said.

Mochtar added that the right of students to obtain religious
instruction of their respective faith meant the schools had an
obligation to provide religious teachers, which he said would
burden the schools.

He described the debate between himself and other legislators
supporting the bill as "a clash between two fools".

"I am a fool because I cannot understand the language of the
politicians, while my fellow legislators are fools too because
they do not understand the language of academics," he said.

The interfaith leaders suggested that the lawmakers focus on
how to handle the deteriorating quality of national education
instead of stimulating debate on religious issues.