Unilateral Relocation is Not the Solution to Resolve the GKI Yasmin Issue

Bogor Mayor, Bima Arya, who was initially expected to bring change to Bogor City regarding the issue of intolerance, ahead of the 44 days of the 2015 Christmas celebration which is a major holiday for Christians, has instead shown legal disobedience against the decisions of the Supreme Court and the Indonesian Ombudsman regarding the establishment of the GKI church in Taman Yasmin. Bima Arya, no different from his predecessor Diani Budiarto, is actually increasingly resolute in discriminating against the GKI Yasmin congregation.

The decision to disobey the decision of the Indonesian Supreme Court is actually a repetition of the results of the Bogor Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Muspida) Meeting on March 4, 2011. In that Muspida meeting, it was unilaterally decided that the GKI Yasmin church would be closed and relocated to another location in Bogor. What the previous Bogor Mayor did, and what is now being done again by Bima Arya, is nothing but the implementation of an evil conspiracy by the Bogor Muspida to go against the law. Methods of justifying acts of discrimination against minority citizens through the Muspida forum were also used by Bima Arya in the recent case of banning the Ashura celebration in Bogor.

The same attitude was shown before the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia on August 11, 2015, where representatives of the Bogor City Government under the assignment of Bima Arya stated two things, namely: 1). that the GKI church in Taman Yasmin will be closed and relocated to another location and 2). that the relocation is the fruit of an “agreement” with the GKI Pengadilan church, which historically is the mother church of GKI Yasmin. The Bogor City Government did not care and ignored the statement of Ombudsman member, Budi Santoso, who expressed his concern that with the attitude of the Bogor City Government under Bima Arya like that, it actually brings this intolerance case back to square one and develops an attitude of collusion, division, and indicates the City Government’s actions that are against the law.

At the end of October 2015, the GKI Yasmin congregation received information that the Bogor City Government is continuing its efforts to relocate GKI Yasmin, exactly as the previous Mayor, Diani Budiarto, had tried to do. If during Diani Budiarto’s time, GKI Yasmin was attempted to be relocated to Jalan Dr. Sumeru Bogor, and totally failed, then now Bima Arya is trying to move GKI Yasmin back to Jalan Dr. Sumeru again, plus other alternatives to the Bubulak area and to the Kayu Manis area of Bogor. According to the documents received, this relocation effort has been coordinated with the central government through the Ministry of Home Affairs and will be finalized before Christmas 2015, and for that, it is done secretly and confidentially. Just like Diani’s efforts, this GKI Yasmin relocation effort is also followed by efforts to divide the GKI congregation in Bogor through a series of agreements between the central government (in the past) and the region, where the existence of GKI Yasmin is claimed to no longer exist and the impression is given that the GKI party, in this case through GKI Pengadilan, has agreed to the revival of the relocation idea.

In reality, the Synod of GKI Pastors, last December 5-6, 2014, had produced a session message that GKI in Taman Yasmin was never dissolved and that GKI as a whole still asks the government to implement the Supreme Court’s decision regarding GKI in Taman Yasmin. The Bogor City Government’s attempt to make a unilateral decision with GKI Pengadilan is an attempt to divide and intervene to destroy the unity of GKI, amidst the crystallization of the government’s proposal for a resolution effort, which actually fulfills the sense of justice. In addition, church leaders within the GKI circle have actually agreed to push the government to implement the Supreme Court’s decision. Another fact is that legally, the owner of the land at Jalan KH Abdullah bin Nuh Kav 31 Taman Yasmin where the GKI Yasmin building currently stands, is owned by the Working Body of the West Java GKI Synod Assembly, and is not owned by GKI Pengadilan, and that the Working Body of the West Java GKI Synod Assembly is part of the participants of the December 2014 GKI Synod Assembly Session who still asked for the implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision on the GKI church in Taman Yasmin.

In connection with the urgent condition of the relocation effort and the approaching CHRISTMAS Celebration on December 25, 2015, therefore located at LBH Jakarta, GKI Yasmin, accompanied by interfaith companions from the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), SETARA Institute, LBH Jakarta, National Alliance of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (ANBTI), KontraS, Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), Indonesian Legal Resource Center (ILRC) declare:

1. The Bogor City Government under the leadership of Mayor Bima Arya to stop the relocation efforts that were also once attempted by the old Mayor Diani Budiarto because relocation to either Jalan Dr. Sumeru, Bubulak, Kayu Manis, or other areas in Bogor is not a solution to the GKI Taman Yasmin settlement. That clearly violates the constitution and basic human rights principles.
2. The Bogor City Government under the Leadership of Mayor Bima Arya to stop the continuation of the old divide and conquer tactics within the internal environment of the GKI Yasmin congregation to smooth out the efforts to close and relocate the legitimate GKI church in Taman Yasmin. This is a manifestation of the behavior of leaders with bad intentions and is unethical and highly inappropriate to be an example for the community.
3. Bogor Mayor Bima Arya immediately implements the Supreme Court’s decision and the Mandatory Recommendation of the Indonesian Ombudsman by opening the GKI church in Taman Yasmin so that the congregation can start worshiping in their own legitimate church at Jalan KH Abdullah bin Nuh Kav 31 Taman Yasmin Bogor starting from the upcoming Christmas service on December 25, 2015.
4. Urges the central government, under President Joko Widodo, to ensure that regional heads submit to the law and the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, and not allow double standards in cases of establishing houses of worship, which depend on majority-minority considerations in an area, by giving leeway to those considered the majority to discriminate against religious groups considered minorities, and to disobey the obligation to comply with the law and the Constitution.
5. Urges the Ministry of Home Affairs to involve the GKI Congregation in Taman Yasmin and the interfaith community in the city of Bogor in an effort to find a final settlement for GKI Yasmin, not solely following the legal disobedience steps taken by the Bogor City Government.

Contact Person : Bonar Tigor Naipospos (Setara Institute, 0811819174) Bona Sigalingging (GKI Yasmin, 08121116660)