TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bogor Mayor Bima Arya rebuffed the assumption that the conflict resolution of the dispute of the Indonesian Christian Church or GKI Yasmin would set a bad precedent that victims of intolerance must give in. The congregations have finally accepted the city administration’s offer to relocate the church after 15 years of not being able to worship there.

The city administration decided to grant lands in Cilendek to be the new location of the church to resolve the dispute albeit the Supreme Court's ruling had noted that the building permit or IMB of the church in Taman Yasmin was valid.

“When we study conflict resolution everywhere, not only in Bogor and Indonesia, each conflict has different anatomy,” said Bima in the Wahid Institute, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, June 16.

According to him, a formula for resolving conflicts in an area will not necessarily work in other areas. As for the church dispute, Bima argued that people who study it would understand why the city government prioritized the principle of fulfilling people’s rights to worship. The principle was also obtained by agreement in the deliberation with actors in the conflict.

“The actors have surely calculated all options,” Bima added.

In this case, Bima said there had been 30 formal meetings and 100 informal deliberations to reach an agreement. The decision for relocation had also been supported by 90 signatures from church members and signed by 60 residents.

The National Director of Gusdurian Network Indonesia (GNI) Zannuba Ariffah Chafsoh alias Yenny Wahid opined that the GKI Yasmin conflict did not only involve legal issues, but also social aspects.

However, the most important factor, according to her, was that the process of finding common ground by Bima Arya and city officials had involved the main stakeholders in this conflict. “That is the church congregation,” said Yenny.

Yenny agreed with Bima Arya to prioritize the principle of fulfilling the rights of the congregation. She also emphasized that people's freedom to build a house of worship must be fought for.

To date, some GKI Yasmin congregations still rejected the decision to relocate the church. One of them is Bona Sigalingging. He argued that relocation was not a solution. “The handover of the grant certificate (Akta Hibah) by Bima Arya is not a legal action ordered by the Supreme Court and the Ombudsman,” he said on Tuesday, June 15, 2021.

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M YUSUF MANURUNG