PPP against review of disputed decree

PPP against review of disputed decree

JAKARTA: The Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP)
faction of the House of Representatives has vowed to oppose any
plan to revise the joint ministerial decree on the construction
of places of worship, which certain non-Muslims have labeled as
being discriminatory.

In a statement signed by faction leader Endin AJ Soefihara and
secretary Lukman Hakiem, the faction said that any revision of
the decree would disrupt religious and national harmony within
the country.

"Demands for revision will endanger national unity and
threaten the unitary state of Indonesia," it said, adding that
the government should maintain the decree as it stands.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked the Minister of
Religious Affairs to review the decree. The decree states that
construction of a place of worship requires approval from people
who live in its vicinity, which in practice has made it very
difficult for minority non-Muslims to build their places of
worship. -- Antara