PLURALITY DENIED: THE DEFEAT OF PLURALISM ADVOCATES IN INDONESIA DURING THE REFORMATION ERA

AL MAKIN, SUNAN KALIJAGA ISLAMIC STATE UNIVERSITY (2012) PLURALITY DENIED: THE DEFEAT OF PLURALISM ADVOCATES IN INDONESIA DURING THE REFORMATION ERA. PRESENTED AT THE CONFERENCE OF NEGOTIATING DIVERSITY IN INDONESIA, SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY, SINGAPORE, NOVEMBER 5-6, 2012..

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Abstract

Plurality Denied Indonesia is fertile not only for the diverse flora and fauna growing across the archipelago but also for the birth of various faiths and religions. Various songs, paintings, and poems dedicated to praise the lands‟ fertility of this archipelago. The leaves of green coconut trees waves along shores, whereas paddies turn yellow in various fields. Mountains stand high. Water flows in rivers. Huts made from bamboo by farmers adds the beauty of this classical landscape often appearing in many painting, such as by Basuki Abdullah, Dullah, Widayat, and other contemporary artists. However, we have to put new decoration in the landscape dominating the towns and villages across the country given the newest development of religiosity after the reformation movement, that is the significant increase number of mosques in every corner of village and town. Indeed, various mosques with Middle Eastern domes offer different architectural style from those of traditional mosques with limasan roofs. To put the point modestly, conservatism is on the rise. Islamism gains momentum in the era of freedom of expression. So far, Indonesian‟s fertility has been overemphasized in the Indonesian worldview. In fact, in hundreds of fertile islands, various local faiths and beliefs also grew. On the other hand, from Soekarno to SBY period the Indonesian government seems to have denied this reality. Only five or six religions—Islam, Protestant, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism— are officially acknowledged by the government. Criticism to the major religions may bring someone to arrest, or even jail, charged with the1965 blasphemy law. Pluralism is denied. The old policy of the New Order which sought for uniformity and simplicity of people‟s faith for the sake of political control and stability is still maintained under SBY‟s administration. Historically speaking, the birth of various prophets who declared new religions has marked various watersheds in the nation‟s history. To illustrate, during the Dutch colonial era, prophets born from various ethnicities and localities, from Diponegoro in Yogyakarta, Sisingamangaraja IX in Tapanuli, Samin Surosentiko in the border of Central and East Java, to other lesser prophets across Java during the early twentieth century, assumed leadership over their own people in the struggle against the colonial government. The story goes that these prophets claimed to have received divine messages with the noble task of restoring the nation‟s pride, identity, and faith. Most of the campaigns led by these prophets however were extinguished by the Dutch with an effective tactic of arresting and sending them into exile through which to separate these prophets from their people. Although only few local religions founded by native prophets during colonial period, such as Parmalim in Sumatera, survive, the emergence of new prophets never cease until today. Indeed, after the independence of the nation, more prophets emerged. They claimed to have received new divine revelation, by which they taught Indonesians with teachings in accordance with the new atmosphere in the aftermath of the declaration of the nation‟s independence. Most of them founded new religions, which, however, regarded by the Indonesian government as mere sects or aliran kebatinan or kepercayaan, put under the umbrella of one of six religions. In the country where diversity is undeniable reality under which prophets never cease to emerge, these mushrooming religions never achieve the status of religions, like their counterparts from India, Europe, and Middle East. As result, some of the sect leaders lament that whereas the government acknowledged imported religions such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, local religions‟ existence is denied. Once again, these local faiths have no right to be called religions. For many, this contradicts the spirit of the State Constitution (UUD 1945) chapter 29, which guarantees the freedom of each citizen to embrace any religion, belief, or faith. Ironically, the followers of these local religions have to put one of the six official religions in their ID card and other official documents. They cannot declare their own identity as the followers of Saminism, Parmalim, Pangestu, and other local religions. The faiths of these groups were also categorized as part of „culture,‟ not regarded as divine revelation, coordinated under the Ministry of Culture and scrutinized by the Attorney General. On the other hand, the number of aliran kebatinan always grows from time to time. In 1980 there were around 600 sects. The New Order government tried to take political advantage from them, by promising them to elevate their status as religions. But Islamists pushed back. The sects remain sects, never be regarded as religions. After the reformation period, freedom of expression also shows two tendencies. First, the plurality of Indonesia appears in the public. Those who were oppressed by the New Order tried to show their faces and voice. Secondly, the spirit of Islamism, which was also suppressed by Soeharto, came to stage yet to annihilate the freedom itself and silence diverse voices other than their own. The first tendency can be seen in the number of people rebelled against the six established religions. Many claimed to have received revelation from God to establish new religions, despite different motivation and context with which claimants recruited followers and found cults. The prophethood of Muhammad, a khatam doctrine guarded by Muslim around the world, was shaken many times. The government arrested these prophets, Ahmad Mushoddeq who founded Qiyadah Islamiyah, Lia Aminuddin who founded Eden group, Imam Solihin who claimed to be the reincarnation of Sukarno, and others. From Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Sumatera to Java, prophets never ceased to emerge from the Old Order to Reformasi. This reality is denied by the government, charging claimants to prophethood with the 1965 blashpemy law and KUHP (the book of criminal code) 156. Most of them were put in jail from two to three years.

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