Indonesian authorities decline support for construction of Christian church

The Samarinda Ministry of Religious Affairs Office in East Borneo Province refused to recommend the construction of a Toraja Christian church building, despite having fully accomplished the requirements in the past 10 years.

The Pergerakan Indonesia untuk Semua (PIS) has expressed disappointment over the authority’s refusal to support the construction of the church, calling the indifference spineless and unjust.

“Oh my God… How can people worship when we make it difficult?” The PIS said so on its website. “What other reason does the Ministry of Religious Affairs Office have for refusing to provide a letter of recommendation? Sounds cowardly, doesn’t it? This injustice should not be tolerated.”

A leader of a group espousing religious freedom took a swipe at the authorities, saying local officials should enforce the law and not bend to religiously intolerant Muslim groups.

“They are more afraid of a handful of people who reject the church’s existence, even though the state guarantees freedom of religion and worship,” Hendra Kusuma, chair of the East Kalimantan Alliance for Advocacy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, told kaltimtoday.com.

Hendra reported that officials in some parts of Indonesia were blaming each other over responsibilities.

“We have visited all related parties, even the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but they still let the sub-district head decide,” Hendra said. “Not a single party is brave and firm enough to resolve the problem.”

Hendra noted that the church has received a letter of recommendation for the construction of the building from the Samarinda Branch of the Interfaith Forum (Forum Kerja Sama Umat Beragama), a mandatory interfaith ad-hoc body, to issue a recommendation for the construction of the building.

Elizabeth, a church member, expressed his disappointment, saying the church’s rights were violated.

“We just want to build a church for worship,” Elizabeth told viva.co.id. “We all have the right to embrace our respective religions and worship in our respective places of worship. Our rights should still be given according to the law.”

An official at the Samarinda Ministry of Religious Affairs Office disclosed that some people were opposing the church construction as authorities were avoiding conflict with the Muslims during Ramadan.

“We don’t want there to be any problems,” Rahami reportedly said. “Especially in the month of Ramadan, it is feared that it can trigger unwanted things, but it doesn’t mean we don’t want to issue it.”

Hendra also said their group turned down the idea of building the building in another location.

“There was a discourse to relocate the church—we reject the discourse even if it happens,” Hendra said. “The [current] lot for the would-be church has a certificate of ownership of the Toraja Church.”

Peter Selestinus, a lawyer based in Jakarta, said the officials were not providing equal guarantees to religious groups, citing the refusal to recommend the construction of the church building.

In a message to the Morning Star News, Selestinus said, “It is against Article 29 of the 1945 Constitution that says the state guarantees the freedom of each resident to embrace their respective religions and to worship according to their religion and beliefs.”

Selestinus expressed dismay, saying the indifference among the officials breached the promises for religious freedom stated in the constitution.

“However, it is unfortunate that our country still adopts a discriminatory attitude in making real the provisions of our Constitution that guarantee each resident the right to embrace a religion,” Selestinus said. “People need a place to hold worship, but it is made difficult. Here the state, the Samarinda City Government in particular, is not honest with its residents, and this is unjustified because it violates the constitution and human rights.”