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Displaced Ahmadis hope for change after Jokowi's inauguration
The inauguration of Joko âJokowiâ Widodo and Jusuf Kalla as the Indonesian president and vice president for 2014-2019 has brought hope to displaced Ahmadis, who have been living at the Wisma Transito shelter in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), after being expelled from their homes in West Lombok in 2006
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he inauguration of Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and Jusuf Kalla as the Indonesian president and vice president for 2014-2019 has brought hope to displaced Ahmadis, who have been living at the Wisma Transito shelter in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), after being expelled from their homes in West Lombok in 2006.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Monday, several Ahmadis said they hoped the Jokowi presidency could bring change to their lives as they had been living in uncertainty for eight years, with the previous government dragging its feet on addressing the problem.
'We hope that after the Jokowi-Kalla inauguration, we can have the basic rights and freedom enjoyed by other Indonesians. There should be no more discrimination and intimidation. The government should be fair in treating Indonesian citizens, regardless of faith,' said Syahidin, 52, the coordinator of displaced Ahmadis in Mataram.
Currently, at least 30 Ahmadiyah families comprising 118 people live at the Wisma Transito Mataram. They were forced from their homes in Ketapang, Gegerung village, Lingsar district, West Lombok, at the beginning of 2006.
The NTB administration stopped providing basic needs to them, such as food, medicine and clothes, in 2008.
The province's Social Affairs Agency said it had stopped providing assistance because according to a Social Affairs Ministry regulation, displaced persons could retain their status, including their right to humanitarian support, only for a maximum of two years after taking refuge in temporary shelters.
Syahidin said that since 2006, 22 babies had been born to Ahmadis at the Wisma Transito shelter and six had died.
Most of the Ahmadis, who were previously farmers and farmhands, have taken casual jobs, such as by working as motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, street vendors or construction workers, to meet their basic needs.
Syahidin said they hoped that Jokowi-Kalla and their Cabinet ministers would be more sensitive to their needs.
He said the Ahmadis wanted to return to their hometown and live a normal life, such as making a decent living and sending their children to school, just like other citizens. (ebf)(++++)
