Sang Timur and empowerment of civil society

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.