SWIFT RESPONSE AND ALERTNESS PREVENT ESCALATION OF TOLIKARA INCIDENT by Fardah

    Jakarta, July 23, 2015 (Antara) - Tolikara, which is located in Papua Province's remote area, was hardly known until the district grabbed media headlines following a sectarian incident that occurred on Eid al-Fitr Islamic holiday on July 17, 2015.    
    On that morning, hundreds of people attacked and pelted stones at Muslims performing outdoor Eid al-Fitr prayers at the military office's yard in Karubaga sub-district, Tolikara district, forcing the worshippers, who are Muslim minority in the area, to flee to a nearby local military office for protection.

         The mob set fires that burnt down more than 50 kiosks and houses, as well as the Baitul Mutaqqin mosque.

         The attack prompted security officers to open fire at them. Some 11 perpetrators, who are members of the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI), were injured, while one was killed in the shooting.

  
    However, according to the Tolikara branch of GIDI, the attackers had only burnt down the kiosks of the local Muslims and had no intentions of setting fire to the mosque located in the same area.

       At least 153 Muslims were evacuated and accommodated in several tents set up at the Karubaga Military Headquarters, as their houses were destroyed in the fire.

        The incident has triggered uproar in the social media, in particular, that could provoke or incite Muslim hardliners to seek revenge.

        Therefore, the security authorities and the central government have been forced to immediately respond by enforcing laws, intensifying security measures, and rebuilding destroyed facilities to prevent a similar incident from spreading to other regions in the country.

        Social Affairs Minister Khofifa Indar Parawansa and Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo paid a visit to Tolikara, which has a population of 140 thousand, to obtain firsthand information and to coordinate the efforts to tackle the problem.

        In addition, the Joko Widodo (Jokowi) administration has provided funds to rebuild the mosque and other facilities destroyed in the incident.

        The attack was believed to be triggered by a circular issued on July 11, 2015, by the Tolikara GIDI.

         Signed by secretary of the local GIDI Priest Marthen Jingga and its chairman, Priest Nayus Wenda, GIDI in the letter bans Eid al-Fitr prayers, Muslim women from wearing hijab, and the construction of any places of worship apart from Evangelical churches in the area.

          However, GIDI President Dorman Wandikbo remarked that the GIDI headquarters has never issued such a circular and affirmed that the circular from the Tolikara GIDI chapter is unofficial. He believed that the attack occurred as a result of misunderstanding and miscommunication.

       In an exclusive interview with Tempo.co on July 21, 2015, at his residence, Marthen Jingga admitted that he and Wenda had drafted and written the circular, as GIDI had organized an international meeting on July 13-19 and had invited 2.5 thousand participants, including representatives from the Netherlands, the United States, Papua New Guinea, Palau, and Israel.

        Wenda confirmed the statement given by Jingga but claimed to have never anticipated that the issuance of the circular would have such an impact.

        "What had happened was beyond our expectations. We never thought that it would cause such a problem," Wenda informed Tempo.co.

         Moreover, they claimed to have written a rectified version of the circular on July 15, 2015, on the request of the Tolikara district head, allowing Muslims to perform indoor Eid al-Fitr prayers. However, the circular was only issued a day after the incident took place.

           Following the incident, the Tolikara district head and local legislators have agreed to remove religious restrictions imposed in the district, Director General of Political Affairs and General Administration Soedarmo stated on July 22, 2015.

         "The restrictive regulation was approved by the district and its lawmakers but was not yet sanctioned by the provincial administration. The regulation was believed to date back to 2013. Therefore, it needs to be traced back on how it had come into force," Soedarmo pointed out.

           "The district regulation has to be revised in such a way that it does not violate human rights. If it is not yet legally valid, it should not be used as a reference," Soedarmo remarked.

          The district regulation banned the establishment of houses of worship other than that of the Indonesian Evangelical Churches in that district, where GIDI followers are in vast majority.

         Minister Tjahjo Kumolo stated that it is the government's duty to guarantee freedom of religion and to perform religious rituals.

         In the meantime, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has expressed regret over the incident that took place in Tolikara.

          "We regret and condemn the incident that occurred in Tolikara, which claimed a life and involved setting Baitul Mutaqqin Mosque and kiosks in the area on fire," Deputy Chairman of MUI Ma'ruf Amin noted while reading out the council's statement on the incident on July 22, 2015.

          The MUI has urged security authorities to thoroughly investigate the case and to firmly enforce laws against all the involved perpetrators.
    "We also urge the government to rebuild the mosque and kiosks that were destroyed and to restore the situation there (in Tolikara)," he remarked.

         Moreover, the council has demanded that the central government and the provincial administration of Papua should objectively and transparently complete the legal procedures involving the perpetrators of the incident, particularly to bring the intellectual player(s) to court.

        The government and all parties must be alert and prevent the execution of terrorist acts against any religion in Indonesia, according to the statement.

         The ulemas also appealed to Indonesian Muslims to exercise self-restraint and to not resort to violence.

         "Muslims should strengthen solidarity and unity to protect the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia," Amin stressed.

          Furthermore, the leadership of the House of Representatives (DPR) will call Chief of the National Police General Badrodin Haiti and his subordinates to obtain comprehensive information on the Tolikara incident, stated Deputy House Speaker Fadli Zon.

          "We want to discuss with the Police chief and other members of the Police leadership regarding the need to prioritize the handling (of the incident)," he stated at the Parliament building on July 22, 2015.

        The Parliament might also form an internal team to personally monitor the situation in Tolikara.

        "We want the security personnel to put out 'the fire' and punish the perpetrators. The community could be easily provoked by using the issue of SARA (religion, ethnicity and race), not only there (in Tolikara) but also in other regions," he remarked.

        He urged the public to not be easily provoked and to not seek revenge. The authorities must also adopt measures to prevent the problem from spreading to other regions, he added.

        Senator Fahira Idris has urged the government to focus its attention and quickly respond to the kiosk and mosque burning incident.

        "The government should quickly respond and focus its efforts to prevent the incident from occurring in other regions. Do not issue counterproductive statements," Fahira Idris, the deputy chairperson of Committee III of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), noted in a statement on July 21, 2015.

        She stated that the government should arrest the intellectual actors behind the incident, which has affected interfaith harmony in Papua.

        "Do not merely arrest those involved in the attack. Those people masterminding the attack must also be detained and be brought to court in order to expose the motives behind the attack," she added.

        Most importantly, justice must be upheld, and the public's trust must be restored, she noted.

        The Tolikara Resort Police Station has investigated 29 people related to the incident, Chief Directorate General of Criminal Investigation of Papua Police Command Senior Commissioner Dwi Riyanto stated.

         Riyanto pointed out that the police are still investigating and collecting evidence and statements from the witnesses for both the victim and those who saw the incident.

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 23-07-2015 19:11:23