Team seeks to sanction interfaith marriages

Team seeks to sanction interfaith marriages

Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia may again officially recognize interfaith marriages as
a joint team tasked with formulating a new bill on civil
registration has agreed that such matters are a basic right which
should not be restricted by the state.

Though the draft of the bill is not expected for another year,
Albertus Sugeng, head of the working committee of the Consortium
for Civil Registration, told The Jakarta Post here on Thursday
that the committee agreed the bill "must reduce the role of the
state so it does not intervene in one's religion."

The classic debate on the separation of state and religion is
likely to reemerge as the consortium, which was formed in May,
begins to disseminate its ideas on the issue.

The consortium's proposal would directly invalidate Marriage
Law No. 1/1974 which stipulates that a marriage is only legal
when it is conducted according to one faith or religion.

In practice a marriage can only be recognized if the couple is
of the same faith.

Consequently couples of different religions find it difficult
to get their marriage legalized here and thus seek alternative
recourses, among which, going abroad is one option with Singapore
being the most popular destination.

According to Albertus, there are now some 5,000 Indonesian
couples on a waiting list to have their marriage registered on
the island state.

"This is very disturbing. Marriage is part of human rights.
It's my right to choose whom I marry," Albertus argued.

He added that with the eventual introduction of the new civil
registration law, "the marriage law must be revised."

The current marriage law, Albertus further contends, also
discriminates against nondenominational faiths such as the
Confucian and Baha'i faiths.

Currently the Civil Registration Office refuses to acknowledge
couples of nondenominational faiths, forcing couples to convert
to one of the religions recognized by the state: Islam, Hinduism,
Buddhism, Protestant and Catholicism.

The consortium is funded by, among others, the United Nations
Children's Fund (Unicef) and Plan International, and comprises of
non-governmental organizations and government agencies.

Its task is to reform the civil registry system in Indonesia.

Members include representatives from the National Commission
on Human Rights, the Indonesian Antidiscrimination Movement, the
Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, the Ministry of Religious Affairs
and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The consortium's work is prompted by concern that the Civil
Registry is still based on four archaic Dutch laws which
segregated residents in colonial Indonesia based on their race
and religion.

"These colonial laws are obsolete and discriminative. They
must be changed," Albertus said referring to Staatsblads 1849,
1917, 1920 and 1933.

Another change the consortium wishes to usher in with the new
bill is the allowance for foreigners to be married and registered
here.

"If other countries allow Indonesian couples to get married in
their country, why shouldn't we? This is globalization and no one
can stop that," Albertus remarked.

The consortium also proposes that birth certificates for all
babies born here be free of charge under a simplified process.

A study by Unicef and Plan International indicates that 70
percent of children here do not have birth certificates.

Currently the official fee for obtaining a birth certificate
is Rp 9,000.