Letter: Questions for Diani and SBY

The persistent refusal of Mayor Diani Budiarto to obey the Supreme Court’s December 2010 decision regarding the GKI Yasmin Church in Bogor, and the apparent irresolute and feeble stance of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono regarding the whole matter, not only makes me very indignant, but also makes me want to ask a few pertinent questions.

As an Indonesian, born and bred in Bogor, and as someone who voted twice for President SBY, I believe I have the right to ask the following questions of Diani Budiarto and of SBY.

What human and divine right have you, Mayor Diani, to persistently refuse to obey the Supreme Court’s order that was issued 12 months ago? Do you know that your action is against the law and contrary to the Constitution of our Republic of Indonesia? You and the Bogor administration say that your decision to seal the church was based on wanting to maintain peace and stability in the area and that residents living near the church have protested the church’s existence. My opinion is that these words are just a lot of nonsense.

During recent decades, many friends and acquaintances of mine, many of them also good Muslims, have also frequently voiced their distress regarding the excessively loud noise emitted by the loudspeakers of many mosques in the vicinity of their homes. Often, the voices of children who are just beginning to learn to read the Koran and the voices of women reciting the Koran’s verses are broadcast at hours when the neighbors would very much appreciate some peace and quiet, rather than what is often unmelodious noise.

But these people, sensible individuals who have had ample reason to complain, have never yet gone public with their complaints. Why do the people near the GKI Yasmin Church suddenly find a reason to complain against its existence, then?

As for you, President Yudhoyono, I am very disappointed in you. Don’t you realize that your words: “They [GKI Yasmin] have a right to their church”, are totally inadequate, and depict a very cowardly stance on your part? The GKI Yasmin Church simply wants to continue its existence on its own grounds, based on the law and on the Supreme Court’s decision. Also, your words: “Those who oppose the existence of the church, either religious groups or the [Bogor] administration, should explain their reasons,” are totally incomprehensible and unacceptable for those who expect stern and just action from you, not vacillating statements and indecisiveness.

President SBY, by standing idly by and allowing, if not outright condoning, lawless and oppressive actions against minorities, such as the Ahmadi people and the Christians of the GKI Yasmin Church in Bogor, you are actually a participant in the violation of their human rights.

Tami Koestomo
Bogor, West Java