Ulemas ask for Rp 5.1b aid, council objects
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
City councillors objected on Thursday to a request by the Jakarta Ulemas Council (MUI DKI) that it be allocated Rp 5.1 billion in aid by the administration.
"The planned use of the fund has very little to do with public interest. Most of the aid would be used for its administrative and organizational affairs," said the chairman of City Council Commission E for people's welfare, Nadjamuddin.
According to MUI's written request for aid signed by MUI chairman Mursyidi and secretary Zainuddin, some of the money would be used to finance a comparative study in Singapore and Malaysia.
Members of the commission also objected to MUI's request.
"It's too much. What if other religious organizations ask for the same amount? We could not afford it," said Supangat of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.
Supangat suggested that the MUI approach the Ministry of Religious Affairs for a donation because just like defense, finance and foreign affairs, religious affairs is handled by the central government in accordance with regional autonomy.
MUI's plan to send its members on a comparative study abroad to visit Muslim councils and courts may have been inspired by city councillors.
Last year, councillors visited Bangkok, Beijing, Morocco and Spain at the expense of city agencies.
In the 2002 budget, funds for foreign trips were eliminated after the trips were criticized as a waste of time by the public.
The City Council will discuss the 2003 draft budget, totaling Rp 11 trillion, in the middle of this month.
The budget, which is scheduled to be approved by the end of this month, allocates funds for projects and routine expenditure, including donations for social and religious organizations.
MUI DKI secretary Zainuddin confirmed that his organization had requested the money, saying the funds would also be used to improve public behavior.
MUI's written request stated that the Rp 5.1 billion would also be used to buy computers and a camera, and to finance its fatwa commission.
MUI and its commission have recently been criticized for their rulings.
The chairman of MUI Bandung, Athian Ali, recently issued a fatwa saying that scholar Ulil Abshar Abdala deserved the death penalty for his newspaper article on Islamic reform.
The Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, MUI office reportedly issued a fatwa stating that blowing a paper trumpet on New Year's Eve was haram (forbidden).
Two years ago, MUI banned a song titled Takdir (Destiny) by local singer Dessy Ratnasari.
Former president Abdurrahman Wahid once suggested dissolving MUI and the Ministry of Religious Affairs because of the number of outlandish fatwa they had issued.