PDI Perjuangan seeks delay of education bill endorsement
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
One day before the scheduled passage of the education bill, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) will try to exert its power as the largest faction at the House of Representatives to delay the endorsement of the bill.
The demand to delay the endorsement, on the grounds that the bill has caused too much controversy, will be presented at a consultative meeting between faction leaders and Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fadjar on Monday, just one day before the scheduled endorsement of the bill on Tuesday.
"Principally, we want to create laws that are accepted by everybody in society. We hope other factions will be sensible," PDI Perjuangan treasurer Noviantika Nasution told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Noviantika disclosed that PDI Perjuangan's stance had been approved by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, also the party's chairwoman.
She added that if the endorsement was delayed, legislators should publicly announce the revisions they had made so that the people understood and accepted them.
Numerous groups have protested against and for the bill. Those supporting the bill include mostly Muslim groups, while those opposing are mostly Catholic and Protestant groups.
The point of contention is the articles requiring all schools, including private religious-based schools, to provide religious instruction for students from different faiths.
Noviantika said those who were still against the bill were mostly uninformed about some of the recent revisions in the bill.
She said several protesters just had the original draft during their protests. They had no information that the issue they were protesting against had actually been revised.
PDI Perjuangan's stance will likely get support from the Military/Police faction and the Indonesian Nationhood Unity (KKI) faction as shown by their latest political stance.
However, their demand to delay the bill's endorsement could be staunchly opposed by Muslim-oriented factions, including the United Development Party (PPP), the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the Daulatul Ummah Party (PDU) and Reform factions.
Those factions have been voicing the aspirations of many Muslim groups which mostly urge the House to endorse the bill as is, and as soon as possible.
In the meantime, members of Golkar and the National Awakening Party (PKB) factions remain divided.
Although his faction accepts the bill, PKB legislator Effendi Choirie said he would also support calls for a postponement.
The delay or endorsement of the bill is expected to create animosity between the two major religious groups in society, most of whom are already divided by their views about the bill.
Secretary of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) Din Syamsuddin told Antara on Saturday that about one million Muslims would occupy the House compound on Tuesday if legislators delayed the bill's endorsement.
A Muslim leader in West Java, Maulany, said that he and his counterparts had agreed to "wage jihad" if the House delayed endorsement of the bill.
Chairman of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) Nathan Setiabudi last Friday warned the nation of social upheaval if the House insisted on endorsing the controversial bill in its present form.
Bishop of Ambon diocese Mgr. Mandagi earlier suggested that the legislators delay endorsing the bill to avoid social conflict.
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.
Many private Christian schools have large numbers of Muslim students and there is apparently fear that those students may be converted away from Islam.
However, the Christian groups see the stipulation as a state intervention into private educational institutions.