Pesantren Draft Bill: Minister Invites Stakeholders in November
5 November 2018 14:54 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Depok - Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said the draft bill on Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) and religious education will be reviewed and relevant parties will be invited to craft its draft alternatives.
“Next week, God willing, we will make the draft alternatives. Hopefully, by the end of November,” Lukman said in Tanah Baru, Depok, on Sunday, November 4.
The chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI), Jimly Asshiddiqie, has suggested that all stakeholders be involved to deliberate this matter, including from the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI).
Read: PGI Protests Clauses in Religious Education Draft Bill
"We must listen to the opinions of all groups, so that we don’t make new problems," Jimly said at the Vice President’s Office in Jakarta on Wednesday, October 31. Jimly also appealed to the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government to be flexible in coping with state issues.
Earlier, PGI protested the draft bill, particularly Articles 69 and 70, which regulated the minimum quota of students for Sunday schools and catechism. The draft bill also requires organizers to secure prior permission from their respective Religious Affairs Ministry offices in regencies and cities.
IRSYAN HASYIM