ASIA/INDONESIA - State and religion in Indonesia: the role of faith in public life

Jakarta (Fides News Agency) – Indonesia is not a theocracy but it is a secular state either: as Indonesians like to say, it is "a middle ground", a nation that recognizes religion has a crucial role in public life, and considers it an important factor for the life of the civil community. This does not mean that the state should have religious power, nor that it should exercise meddling, interference or obsessive control in the life of religious communities; but it does mean that the state stands and acts as a guarantor of "religious moderation" and harmony between the faiths.
In the architecture of the nation, the possibility of a form of Islamic theocracy or the choice of a single "state religion" was considered and then set aside in 1945, on the eve of Indonesia's declaration of independence, which would then give rise to the Constitution, with liberation from Dutch colonial rule.
In the working group that discussed the "Charter of the Five Principles" (Pancasila) and then in the restricted "Commission of Nine Representatives" – formed by representatives of the nationalist movement and those of the Islamic movements – it was observed that "creating an Islamic state in Indonesia would mean that not creating a unitary state (...) thus the problem of minorities will certainly arise, the problem of small religious groups, which will not feel involved in the state. Therefore, the ideals of an Islamic state do not agree with the ideals of a unitary state that we have all waited for with such passion". It was pointed out, on the other hand, that "a unitary national state does not mean a state with an a-religious character" and it was thought to design a "unitary national state with a high moral basis".
This led to the agreement expressed in the "Jakarta Charter" which formulated the compromise of the "Pancasila", also including the element of religion among the five principles underlying the state and civil coexistence: faith in the one God; humanity; unity; democracy guided by wisdom; social justice.
Since its independence in 1947, there has been a widespread awareness in the archipelago that the State must deal with religion, a fundamental element of social and cultural life. For this reason, since the first post-independence government, a Ministry of Religious Affairs was created, with departments (now Directorates) dedicated to Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism, the six officially recognized religions. These, as established in Article 29, paragraph 2 of the Constitution, "also receive help and security". This does not mean that other religions (Jewish, Zoroastrian, Shinto, Taoism) are prohibited in the country: they enjoy guarantees and are free to develop, as long as they do not violate the laws and regulations in force.
The six General Directorates in the Ministry of Religious Affairs are intended as a government service to citizens and intended to support all religious communities. Each Directorate also deals with religious education: it organizes and directly supervises educational institutions that appear as "state religious institutions", a formula that, in the Indonesian vision, is not contradictory. This commitment, in fact, is considered crucial to guarantee the vision of moderation and harmony between the faiths. In this context, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has a basic strategic program to ensure and promote "religious moderation" in Indonesia, an approach considered fundamental as a attitude and behavior practiced in Indonesian society
In particular, for the Catholic community in Indonesia, the State, through various Decrees, recognizes the Catholic Church and its realities as "Religious Legal Entities": such status is a guarantee for all activities.
(PA) (Fides News Agency 24/8/2024)

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