Legislators move to delay education bill

Legislators move to delay education bill

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Twenty-five legislators from various factions in the House of
Representatives (DPR) called for a delay on Thursday of the
endorsement of the national education bill that combined
educational and religious issues.

The call was made in response to the growing rejection of the
bill that has sparked controversy among the public in particular
schools and education experts.

Effendi Choirie of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction
said he was the 25th legislator to sign the petition that was
handed to him 10 days ago.

"It's likely that the number of legislators signing the
petition will increase," he told the press at his office.

Choirie disclosed that most of the 25 legislators were from
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and
Golkar factions. So far, he is the only legislator from the
National Awakening Party (PKB) to support the move.

He said that the endorsement of the controversial bill must be
delayed to avoid religious friction.

Some legislators admitted that they were aware of the move but
had not been invited to sign the petition.

Rekso Ageng Herman, Nyoman Gunawan and Firman Jaya Daeli from
PDI Perjuangan and Anthonius Rahail from Indonesian Nationhood
(KKI) factions said they backed the call for the postponement.

Legislators and the Ministry of National Education are
scheduled to settle some contentious issues on June 9 before the
legislators bring the bill to a plenary meeting the next day for
endorsement.

Meanwhile, people staged rallies in several cities both in
support of and in protest against the controversial bill.

Hundreds of people from the Society that Cares for National
Education (MPPN) demonstrated against the bill outside the House,
saying that the bill contained discriminatory and unfair
regulations.

The Forum of Indonesian Youths for Nationhood (FKPI) stated
that the education bill gave the chance to the government to
meddle in religious affairs despite the fact that it was an
individual right.

In Surakarta, Central Java, around 10,000 people staged a
rally in the city's downtown area, urging the House to cancel the
bill endorsement.

Most of the protesters were students and teachers from
Protestant and Catholics schools supported by Muslim and Buddhist
groups.

In a statement, the protesters demanded the government give
freedom and space to religious-based schools to run their
curriculum as they see fit.

Coordinator of the protest Rev. Hartono said that the public
may choose not to vote in the elections should the House endorse
the education bill.

In Sikka regency, a predominately Catholic area, in East Nusa
Tenggara province, people threatened to secede from the unitary
republic of Indonesia should the education bill pass into law.

Around 15,000 protesters rejected the bill and unfurled 112
banners during a rally outside the local legislative council.

The protesters were welcomed by legislative council speaker
Oligius Lusi Meak Gudipung and Sikka Regent Alexander Longginus.

They said that the education bill gave the government the
chance to intervene in religion, a domain that was a personal
matter and that it was the right of every citizen to practice his
or her own religion.