An award received by a head of state should be a source of pride for his or her people. However, the 2013 World Statesman Award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, which President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is set to receive, is tinged with irony.
The foundation, headquartered in New York, U.S., recognizes the President’s significant contributions to resolving conflicts—both civil and religious—in Indonesia. Various questions could be directed at the foundation. However, what is truly important is how the President accepts this praise.
The reason is that the reality within the country tells a different story. Violence against minority groups continues to occur. On Sunday (May 5), two places of worship and 21 homes belonging to members of the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Community in Tasikmalaya, West Java, were vandalized by a group of people.
In Bekasi, human rights violations were even committed by the city government itself. Since April 5, the city government has sealed off an Ahmadiyah place of worship. The mayor of Bogor took similar action against the Yasmin Church in Bogor, West Java. Meanwhile, in East Java, the instigator of violence against Shia residents in Sampang was acquitted by the court.
According to a report by the Setara Institute, last year there were a total of 317 acts and 264 incidents of human rights violations. Violence committed in the name of religion is perpetrated not only by the public but also by the judiciary and state institutions.
This series of events demonstrates that the state has failed to fulfill the mandate of the constitution, namely to protect all citizens.
If we let ourselves be carried away by the “Land of Uncle Sam” award, that amounts to denial—even arrogance. Rather than turning around to criticize those who disagree with the award, the President should heed those dissenting voices as a warning. All too often, the President pays more attention to an ant across the ocean than to an elephant right before his eyes.
Just look at how the President is working to resolve the Rohingya conflict in Myanmar. SBY visited Myanmar and urged President Thein Sein to continue pursuing reconciliation for that minority group.
Yudhoyono even encouraged an Indonesian state-owned enterprise to participate in reconciliation efforts by investing in the conflict-affected region. Don’t Indonesia’s own minority groups deserve similar attention from their president?
It is time for the President to demonstrate his commitment through concrete actions at home. The President’s seriousness in ensuring the rights and protection of all citizens—including minority groups—serves as a vital example for other state institutions and officials.
This is because, on several occasions, local officials have refused to implement Supreme Court rulings granting minority congregations the right to build places of worship. Cabinet members have even gone so far as to advocate human rights violations by supporting the dissolution of a minority group.
The president should realize that a lack of firmness at home will create an environment conducive to anarchy and tyranny. The democracy he touts is nothing more than an empty slogan. If that is the case, all the praise from abroad is nothing more than a pipe dream.