Sang Timur and empowerment of civil society

Wahidin Halim, Jakarta

An opinion article which appeared in The Jakarta Post, on Thursday entitled Sang Timur affair exposes government discrimination came as a jolt and appeared to lack proper balance. I would like, therefore, to join the discourse on the Sang Timur affair. The case, involving the Yayasan Pendidikan Karya Sang Timur (foundation), an influential educational institution in Tangerang, triggered an alarming reaction from public figures concerned with education.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had his say about the case through Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Alwi Shihab, who explained there would be a satisfactory "solution" for all relevant parties before long. Also airing their views on the issue were the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid and such outstanding figures as former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Ma'arif, education expert Seto Mulyadi and Islamic scholar Komaruddin Hidayat.

In principle, they agreed that Sang Timur had to proceed with its education mission despite the prevailing quandary.

As the mayor of Tangerang, I deem it necessary to give some descriptions of Sang Timur so that a consensus can be reached to overcome the problem. In broad terms, there are at least three components involved in the Sang Timur affair: The Tangerang city government (state), the Sang Timur foundation and the public.

In 1992, Tangerang (then still an administrative town) granted a building construction license to the Sang Timur foundation to create a school in Karang Tengah, Ciledug, Tangerang. The presence of this foundation in Tangerang was expected to balance the state's role in educational management, enhance the creation of a civil society and help the Tangerang administration encourage its citizens to join in modern education.

At the beginning of last year, when Tangerang was under mayor MH Thamrin, the management of Sang Timur requested a license to set up its multipurpose building for Sang Timur school students' activities. The mayor granted the permit on the condition that the building did not serve as a place of worship.

This was the turning point and the crux of the issue. In a further development, the building was used as a place of religious ritual with more than 5,000 devotees attending weekly. The situation caused local residents to react negatively.

At this point, it is important to point out that the municipal administration of Tangerang has no authority to regulate the religious activities or practices of a religion because such rituals are beyond the its domain of influence. The religion- related aspects of the Sang Timur affair, as Coordinating Minister Alwi Shihab rightly stated, is the domain of the Minister of Religious Affairs.

The Tangerang administration has no intention in intervening in matters of religion -- it only deals with public administrative affairs.

It is in this context that Gus Dur was misguided when he threatened to take legal action against the mayor of Tangerang over the Sang Timur case. Gus Dur tried to connect the unrest with the actions of the administration.

The growth of civil society is inseparable from the efforts and role of educated citizens, which historically become the backbone of a democratic society.

Indonesia's democratic reform process since 1998 would not have been possible were there not intellectuals to help abolish the New Order's totalitarian system and create a new one in its place.

A school like Sang Timur is central to this empowerment of civil society, but it is also subordinate to the society it exists in.

The question is then is how effectively Sang Timur can communicate with citizens located within its sphere of influence -- the locals living nearby -- so as to create mutual relationships that are in harmony with external communities.

The intensive process of modernization and development taking place in the country has been producing fairly profound structural changes in society -- but they are not always democratic or positive ones.

Hopefully, schools like Sang Timur can work to encourage world views that are accepting of difference -- whether it be political social or religious.

As described by Habermas, a worldview covers social accords already formed in traditions; a culture and language communicated in a community's daily practice. It also encompasses the stock of knowledge, reservoir of conviction, solidarity and capabilities of a community.

What is clear is that the problems between the Sang Timur school and the Karang Tengah people involve conflicting world views. They also involve the frustration of the Karang Tengah people who have been unable to change their environment and have not developed their world views enough to accept difference in their community.

The best solution for the problem is to take a middle path -- where both parties come together and solve their differences, instead of making separate accusations at each other and spreading dangerous rumors.

Next time, perhaps Gus Dur should consider these facts before he speaks out.

The writer is the mayor of Tangerang and a graduate of the School of Social And Political Sciences at the University of Indonesia.