Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali might be the busiest man in the Cabinet, with the recent spate of religious violence, the deliberations over halal food and the drawing up of a regulation by which the newly established antipornography task force will operate.
Suryadharma talked with Margareth S. Aritonang about a number of issues this week.
Question: You are appointed as one of the leaders of the recently established antipornography task force to curb the distribution of pornographic materials nationwide. What will the task force do to achieve that?
Answer: I cannot tell you much about our strategies because we are still arranging a work plan, as well as the budget for it. We will soon have our first meeting, led by the chairman, Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono. A part of the plan will be to set a standard definition for “pornographic”.
How will you set the standard?
We will invite stakeholders throughout society to offer their definitions of pornography. We want to know their judgment on the issue to set a universal standard definition of pornography, which will include skirts that are above the knee.
Once the task force completes the standard, will it be implemented evenly across the country or will you give leniency to certain provinces, such as Bali and Papua, due to their cultures?
I know that some parts of the country have unique cultures, such as Bali and Papua. Nevertheless, we think that we must set universal criteria to be implemented in all parts of the archipelago. Requiring women to wear skirts that fall below the knee will be one such criterion.
But don’t you consider that different cultures will understand and treat things considered as pornographic differently?
I believe in a universal standard understanding of pornography. You just know it when you see it.
The government has proposed a number of bills, including one on mass organizations, which is expected to deal with radical groups.
First of all, we must clarify what “radical” means. I think people usually refer the word radical to Islamist groups, which is not right. For me, radical groups are basically those that cause problems to others in the name of religion, interests, or even democracy. Based on this understanding, the only thing we can do to deal with the so-called radical groups is to enforce the law fairly.
What is the significance of the bill on halal food?
The bill is highly important because it will mandate all food manufacturers to let Muslim consumers know whether certain foods are safe to eat. The bill will also authorize the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue certificates on halal food. But we will involve Muslim groups by taking part in examining the food. However, the deliberation of the bill is still in its early stages.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said that it found irregularities in the use of bank interest, worth Rp 1.7 trillion (US$185.3 million), from the management of the Rp 32 trillion haj fund, which was accumulated from 1.4 million prospective pilgrims. For this reason, the KPK suggested that the government implement a moratorium [on new applications] for the haj.
I don’t understand why the KPK made the announcement because we always involve the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) and the Finance and Development Comptroller to audit our budget. I must remind you that the haj management is not supposed to gain benefits for anyone in the ministry, including myself. We use the interest from prospective pilgrims for cross-subsidies to pay for general-service fees, passport arrangements, accommodation, food and other things.
For example, the government of Saudi Arabia requires $277 per person for the general-service fee, while we only ask each of the pilgrims to pay $100 because the rest will be covered from the interest. We also use the interest to arrange pilgrims’ visas for free, as well as to cover their insurance. The interest is also used to cover some of the accommodation fees because, for example, the House of Representatives only approves an amount of 3,150 Saudi riyal ($840) per pilgrim, while the usual cost is 3,700 Saudi Riyal per person on average. Just so you know, we also give around Rp 5 million for living costs to each pilgrim as soon as they arrive in Saudi. We are accountable for everything. I ask the KPK to give proof of their findings.
What about the suggestion to start a moratorium on the haj pilgrimage?
I don’t think it is a good idea as it will result in higher costs for the haj pilgrimage when the moratorium is lifted, because we won’t have any more interest saved in the bank to cover subsidies.
Comment:
Bona, Jakarta | Fri, 30/03/2012 - 12:03pm
"we think that we must set universal criteria to be implemented in all parts of the archipelago."
Well, the typical Indonesian woman wears the typical long sarong, exposing, however, shoulders, arms and, of course, the highly dangerous, pornographic and criminalized dead cells called "hair". A piece of cake for the Wahhabi religious police (alias "task force") comprised of pesantren drop-outs and other idling, misogynistic "alumni". And once the complete destruction of Indonesian culture and traditions is complete, the Saudi masters and the Pancasila-traitors will finally smile.
But one problem remains: how about the female tourists in Bali and other beaches? Will they be forced to wear the deviant burkini? Or flogged if they refuse?