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.