Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In an attempt to prevent national disintegration, religious
figures expressed their commitment on Wednesday to oppose the
demand to insert a phrase on the implementation of sharia (Islamic
Law) into the 1945 Constitution.
Ahmad Syafii Maarif, chairman of the country's second largest
Muslim organization, Muhammadyah, along with Hasyim Muzadi of the
largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Julius Kardinal
Darmaatmadja of the Bishops Council of Indonesia (KWI) and
Wismohadi of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) agreed
that excluding the phrase from the 1945 Constitution was "the
only way to avoid the country from disintegration".
"We are committed to not changing the preamble of our
Constitution, because replacing it will only change this country.
"We consider the ongoing constitutional amendment process
to be inconsistent with certain elements of the nation that insist
on inserting the implementation of sharia into Article 29 of the
Constitution. Therefore, we should not make any amendment to the
article," Syafii told a media conference, after a two-hour
closed-door meeting at the NU secretariat in Central Jakarta.
The meeting, held prior to NU's four-day national congress, was
meant to gather input from various social and religious groups in
the country over many issues, including the ongoing amendment
process of the Constitution.
The NU congress will be held from Thursday through to Sunday.
Besides discussing the amendment of Article 29 of the
Constitution, the congress is also slated to discuss measures to
promote direct presidential elections in the future.
Also present at the meeting was noted Muslim cleric Nurcholish
Madjid.
Two major Muslim-based political parties -- the United
Development Party (PPP) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) -- have
reportedly pressured the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to
amend Article 29 by inserting the seven-word phrase accommodating
the implementation of sharia.
Several Muslim-based groups, including the Islamic Defenders
Front (FPI), the Association of Indonesian Muslim Workers (PPMI)
and the Hizbollah Front have staged several protests outside the
Assembly building demanding the implementation of sharia.
Syafii admitted that their commitment to oppose the plan to
include the phrase in the Constitution was not popular with
Indonesian Muslims.
"I believe that many people within our (NU and Muhammadyah)
community will condemn our stance, but I have warned them that we
must be committed to promoting unity, which our founding fathers
declared when establishing this nation," Syafii said.
"We must also realize that this country's prolonged crisis
is due to the lack of our politicians' leadership, as they have
forgotten their main task, which is to protect the public instead
of pursuing their own interests," he added.
Indonesia has been hit by sectarian conflicts in several
regions in past years, including bloody clashes in Ambon, Maluku
and Poso in Central Sulawesi, which have claimed thousands of
lives.
Meanwhile, Julius said promoting personal interests above
national interests would only pave the way for national
disintegration.
"Once we fail to respect other people's rights, our
country will break up," Julius said.
Julius cited the KWI Meeting in 2000, which concluded there
should be no limitations among religious worshipers.
Wismohadi shared Julius' statement, saying that differences
among people should not be a reason to eliminate the presence of
minority groups.