AICHR sees lack of goodwill to end dispute

The ASEAN human rights commission found serious lack of goodwill to restore the minimum rights of religious freedom in the case of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin dispute.

Jakarta | Mon, August 29 2016 | 08:51 am

The ASEAN human rights commission found serious lack of goodwill to restore the minimum rights of religious freedom in the case of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin dispute.

Dinna Wisnu, Indonesia’s representative for the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), said on Sunday that Bogor Mayor Bima Arya had told her that he had met with GKI representatives frequently and offered them to reapply for a new construction permit.

“Bima said he opened the original location of GKI Yasmin for three days, but security authorities said it was not safe to reopen the venue, so he closed the venue permanently until a new permit is approved,” she told The Jakarta Post, adding there was indeed a loophole in Indonesia’s legal system.

“The minimum he can do is restore the venue as a place of worship, as demanded by the Supreme Court and the Indonesian Ombudsman, but he was defensive about his position.”

The GKI Yasmin dispute started in 2006 with a protest from several residents of Bogor’s Curug Mekar subdistrict over the existence of GKI Yasmin in their housing complex. They accused GKI Yasmin of falsifying signatures to obtain a construction permit.

In 2008, then Bogor mayor Diana Budiarto, through the spatial planning and parks agency, issued a decree to freeze the church’s permit.

Bima, in January 2014 when he was still the mayor-elect, vowed to find a solution to the dispute. He, however, has yet to take concrete measures to end the continuing saga.

In July, the GKI Yasmin congregation officially filed the case with the AICHR.

The church’s spokesman, Bona Sigalingging, said in a statement on Sunday that the human rights commission in ASEAN “was not as strong” as that in the EU.

However, he still felt it was important to report the case, so that Indonesia could resolve human rights-related issues in the country.

“How can Indonesia give impacts in the ASEAN region in relation to human rights issues if the discrimination against GKI Yasmin, HKBP Filadelfia [the Filadelfia Batak Church], Ahmadiyah, Shiites and so on is allowed?” Bona asked.

“We hope, as Bima Arya has promised, that the GKI Yasmin dispute can be resolved [soon], so we can use our legal church before Christmas” he added.

Dinna said the AICHR did not have the mandate yet to handle cases through legal instruments, but it was looking to construct support where awareness of human rights was low or missing.

“I plan to start a program that will draw regional attention to develop regional support in the implementation of commitment to religious tolerance,” she said.

The AIHCR was formed to enhance regional cooperation to complement national and international efforts on the promotion and protection of human rights, and to uphold international human rights standards and instruments to which ASEAN member states are parties, including the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, she added. (vny)

SOURCE www.thejakartapost.com