TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government would like to give the impression that their handling of the Nusantara Dawn Movement (Gafatar) members evicted from West Kalimantan province and returned 'home' to Java was a humanitarian mission. A number of Navy warships were dispatched to transport thousands of people back to Java. But from the port, they were herded to shelters then lectured on nationalism, religious knowledge and given a bit of pocket money.
Why was their eviction condoned by the government and where will they go? These self-reliant farmers have long settled in Mempawah regency, West Kalimantan. They legally purchased farmland to work on, much like the well known self-transmigration program. Yet, suddenly and with no warning, early last month, their houses were set ablaze by their local neighbors. They were accused of being a dangerous group with 'deviating doctrines'. In response, instead of protecting them, the government 'rescued' them and took them out of Kalimantan.
What did they do wrong? Gafatar is a social organization bound by 'a common belief'. The group developed in different regions and registered themselves as civil society organizations in their respective local governments. On August 14, 2011, Gafatar organized a congress and elected Mahful M. Tumanurung, a Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University graduate as chairman. The organization's main program is a system of self-reliant farming.
By practicing a 'different faith', Gafatar members triggered criticism, which many of them were unable to endure. By last August 13, the group held a special convention and officially disbanded their movement. According to Mahful, former Gafatar members were given the right to choose, whether to continue with the program, including the practice of their faith, or abandoning it altogether.
The faith, it turned out, was the problem. The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MU) called Gafatar a deviant group because it deviates from Islamic teachings. Gafatar, claimed the MUI, does not require members to carry out daily prayers and go on a fast during Ramadhan. Are they misguided? Consider what Mahful said: "We do not have the same understanding (on Islam). We are not part of Islam." At a press conference held at Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation building last Tuesday, Mahful said, "How can a fatwa (edict) on deviancy be issued if we are not part (of Islam)?"
Mahful is right. The government should respect people's beliefs because it is guaranteed by the Constitution. A person's decision to renounce his or her faith and embrace a new one must be respected. Mahful clearly said his group was 'outside of Islam'. Why did the MUI brand it as deviant?
Former Gafatar members insist on retaining their right to food security as mentioned by Mahful. They do not hold violent protests, nor do they demolish statues in city parks or raid entertainment sites, like some other civil society organizations. Charges that Gafatar plans to secede and build a separate state was vehemently rejected by Mahful. Even if Mahful was being untruthful, can intention alone be considered a crime? What about HizbutTahrir Indonesia, which clearly declared their intention to build a caliphate and not recognize Pancasila? Gafatar, before they were dissolved, quoted Pancasila in their organizational statutes.
What may have happened was that some of the Gafatar members decided to break way from the core group. Like family members deciding to change their faith, they became outcasts. Apparently, the government used this as the main reason to 'repatriate' former Gafatar followers. The government may have overreacted and may have created a new and unnnecessary problem. (*)
Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
