Role of religious leaders
Role of religious leaders
A seminar on development and human rights in Irian Jaya this week heard a message from a native theologist that could be the 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not overlook religious leaders." The academic, who works at a school of theology in Jayapura, the provincial capital of Indonesia's easternmost province, criticized the authorities for neglecting to give religious leaders in the predominantly Christian region a greater role in the government's effort to modernize the area.
Benny Giay, the academic, said that local religious leaders have started to act as middlemen in difficult and sensitive situations, such as the current kidnapping of innocent people by armed separatist rebels, but until recently the authorities had never bothered to treat them as community leaders.
His criticism should be food for thought for the local administration especially when taking into consideration the fact that in several trouble spots the authorities -- especially the military commanders -- have gained valuable experience from their cooperation with local religious leaders.
It started three decades ago in West Java when the local military was confronted by rebellion by radical Moslems. The following years witnessed similar events in Aceh, which has endured repeated separatist violence.
The administration of the predominantly Moslem province in northern Sumatra has started to promote community harmony by holding regular meetings with ulemas in which the governor has heart-to-heart talks with Moslem scholars and religious teachers in all the regencies. In the meetings the governor briefs the ulemas about government development programs and the religious leaders voice their ideas and submit their proposals.
Such an approach would be beneficial for both the administration and the people of Irian Jaya because, as in Aceh and other parts of the country, religious leaders play significant roles in the society. They are genuine unofficial leaders, whose influence is in most cases pivotal.
In Irian their role is inseparable from their historical background. During the Dutch colonial era, which started in the region at the end of the last century and formally ended in 1963, the people in the central highlands, who still live in the stone age, only had contact with the outside world through missionaries. There was not a single government post in the interior.
To make their presence felt -- and this is applicable in all parts of Indonesia -- religious leaders need to increase their social sensitivity and extend their sphere of influence beyond places of worship.
For example, globalization has been threatening to uproot our traditional and religious values. Leaders of all religions should work together and flex their moral muscles to combat the negative impacts of modernization and warn the government of the negative aspects of TV programs, imported films and the advance of the Internet.
Such activity would not only help them get their message across but also ensure they win more respect from the authorities.