INDONESIA
By Rully Sandra*
The Jakarta Post-Mar 2
We are a diverse and tolerant nation, they said. We are a respectful and peaceful community, they said. They forgot to mention the caveat: these only apply as long as you are part of the majority, you follow certain interpretations and do not criticize the democracy veiled in bigotry.
Indonesia has seen the rise of populism, just like many other countries. At first, it looked like a singular phenomenon, an expression of piety among those who supported it and a juicy topic of discussion for those who opposed it.
Intolerance and bigotry have permeated our lives even further. It is not just a show of power from a majority group.
It is becoming a way of life, condoned and perpetuated by the government. It is like a silent and well-orchestrated coup. We have suddenly awoken in a country in which we feel no longer welcome simply because of our differences.
Our legislature believes that it is more important to interfere with our private lives than to focus on other more pressing matters. They do not welcome any criticism against them.
Last year, in a report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council during the third cycle of universal periodic review, Indonesia stated that it remained committed to protecting the legal rights of all its diverse communities and that was taking efforts to end discrimination and violence connected to the violation of those rights. This stance appeared under the section on freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
And just recently, Indonesia proudly highlighted its diplomatic efforts for peace and humanity, as Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi mentioned at the opening of the Jakarta Human Rights Conversation, held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 25th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action.
But Indonesia condones vigilantism. This sends the worrying message that it is OK to repress other religions and it is OK to oppress minority people who have a different sexual orientation or gender identity.
Indonesia cannot hide its ugly side anymore. The UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, on his recent visit to Indonesia, noted with concern that extremist views had gained prominence in the political arena alongside rising incitement to engage in discrimination, hatred or violence in various parts of the country.
Less than a week after his visit, Indonesia witnessed blatant and repulsive acts in which a Yogyakarta church was attacked and Buddhist monks were intimidated in Tangerang, Banten province.
Separately, reports said one state-owned enterprise offered public services with conversion to Islam as a precondition.
In a minor yet very upsetting case, a tweet went viral on a woman’s refusal to sit on a public bus next to a person she thought was of a religion different than hers.
At the national level, the most recent draft of the criminal code shows a tendency toward over-criminalization.
Upon a pretext to protect religion, or even God, those who are different are being discriminated, abused and persecuted.
Religion and issues of sexual minorities are the Ace cards politicians use when elections are approaching. Their appearance is as expected as Jakarta’s traffic.
Suddenly, banners full of hate messages are displayed proudly. Politicians hoping to be reelected seem to subscribe to unwritten laws on defending certain religious interpretations.
As one of the top users of social media in the world, yet second-to-last in terms of reading, Indonesians simply gulp it all down with no filter.
Religious leaders known for spreading hatred can easily hide behind their followers.
Only a few of today’s religious leaders can maintain their integrity and not be trapped by petty politics.
Even among human rights activists, some find it hard to accept sexual orientation and gender identity as a part of human rights, mainly because of religious reasons.
The ones who believe that as the majority, their opinions weigh more than others’, tend to think that they are doing nothing wrong.
It is like being the biggest bully in the schoolyard, where they (or should I say, “we”?) do not see themselves as being the biggest bully, but feel immediately threatened by the more confident, yet smaller, kids.
The two largest Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, need to self-reflect. They need to understand what, why and how they are allowing radical and fundamentalist views to taint their members.
It is quite hypocritical that Indonesia sees itself as a country of moderate Islam and tolerant Muslims that could set as a good example for other countries in the region, for instance the Philippines, while in reality the people are becoming increasingly intolerant.
This is our cognitive dissonance! It is a problem that should have been addressed by good quality education, critical thinking and full respect for human rights.
Unfortunately, all three are severely lacking in our country, which make it easy for our people to be manipulated for the political advancement of certain groups.
And this is why veiled bigotry and anti-LGBT are going hand in hand as a political strategy.
John Ruggie, a Harvard professor, once said that human rights was an idea both simple and powerful.
The fundamental concept of human rights is that every person is entitled to inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights.
The government does not bestow human rights. And human rights should definitely not carry prerequisite criteria, for instance that they apply only to the majority, or only to the followers of predominant religions, or only to heterosexuals.
Human rights are universal and are not contrary to any religion. This is something that everyone should realize — including, but most importantly, by our government, religious leaders and our two largest Islamic organizations.
*Rully Sandra is a doctoral candidate in law at Padjadjaran University.
(first published in The Jakarta Post – http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2018/03/02/our-cognitive-dissonance.html )
