The prolonged dispute over the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin in Bogor, West Java, may have a silver lining with an alternative solution to expand the church into a multifunctional building, yet the struggle of its congregation continues as the Bogor city administration has instead insisted on relocating the church.

Church spokesman Bona Sigalingging said on Wednesday that the congregation had considered the proposal for the multifunctional building, dubbed the Bhinneka building in reference to Indonesia'€™s diverse society, and projected to accommodate not only GKI Yasmin but also various interreligious activities, as the best solution to settle the dispute.

However, Bona said, Bogor Mayor Bima Arya had refused the win-win solution, which was initially proposed by a number of supporting NGOs.

"Even with the new mayor, the [GKI Yasmin] case is still stuck. We cannot even see the end yet," Bona told thejakartapost.com.

According to Bona, the proposal could be a chance to settle the dispute because it not only stood in line with a Supreme Court ruling in 2010 that affirmed the church's construction permit (IMB) for a house of worship on the current site, but could also become a symbol in Bogor for promoting pluralism.

GKI Yasmin'€™s congregation members have been struggling for their right to worship in their own church for almost seven years after former mayor Diani Budiarto decided to freeze the church's IMB, after being pressured by intolerant groups.

However, Bona asserted that the congregation'€™s long-standing commitment to keep struggling was not about the revoked IMB, but more about demanding the Bogor administration implement the court's ruling, which was in fact legally binding and should be executed.

"This issue is about a municipality disobeying the ruling of the highest legal body in Indonesia, which stands at an equal level to the presidential body," said Bona.

According to the Setara Institute's deputy chairperson Bonar Tigor Naipospos, since the administration of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the central government had been cautious about intervening in city administration matters.

"The central government has been given the signal that whatever the options are, the solution depends on the city administration to decide," Bonar said.

Bonar explained that there were two aspects of religion in a state. First was forum internum (inner freedom of religion), related to choice of religion and belief in which the government could not intervene. Second was forum externum (freedom to worship), which related to a person's right to manifest his religion or belief in which the government could intervene if it disturbed the rights of others.

"This is always the city administration's argument in freezing the IMB, they say houses of worship should not affect other people's rights," he said.

Bonar further added that the only way to resolve the matter '€” if city administration persisted in refusing the GKI Yasmin congregation'€™s demands '€” was to bring the issue to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo for him to settle.

However, Bonar said, even if the proposal for an alternative solution fell into Jokowi's hands, he doubted that Jokowi would be willing to touch issues on religious intolerance as such matters had not yet been a priority for his administration.

"What we need right now is someone in the government who can really commit to settle this dispute. Please don't make any more excuses, saying that this is the city administration's responsibility," added Bona from the church.(+)

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