PSI Suggests Repeal of Joint Ministerial Decree on Worship Houses

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The chairperson of Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI) Grace Natalie suggested revocation of the joint ministerial decree or SKB regulating the establishment of houses of worship as it violated the 1945 Constitution Article 28e and Article 29.

“[The articles] stipulate freedom for all to adopt a religion and to worship. The country assures citizens to worship,” said Grace in Jogja Expo Center, Monday, February 11.

Grace opined a policy that is contrary to the 1945 Constitution and its spirit is discrimination. So PSI planned to deregulate and dismiss the joint ministerial decree that clearly hampers the freedom of people to worship as guaranteed by the constitution.

Intolerance, Grace added, is detrimental for the nation’s unity as it triggers conflict and damage tolerance. Even to date, intolerance does not only occur toward alive people but also dead one, such as happened in Kotagede Yogyakarta where locals urged a grave to be moved due to a different religion.

Grace labeled the current phenomenon as normalization of intolerance. The attack against a different community, the shut down of worship houses, rampant lectures about hate speech are getting to be viewed as a normal matter.

“Signs of normalization of intolerance is when people deem intolerance as a normal case, which caused by a massive cultural campaign that leads people to binary thinking of merely black versus white. Our group versus our enemy,” Grace underlined.

PSI, she added, would tackle intolerance and every form of threats to the unity of Indonesian people based on its main goal.

MUH. SYAIFULLAH