Morality Law for Depok

Aug 2nd, 2006, in News, by

While Depok heads down the road of instituting strict morality laws two candidates for mayor of Jakarta say sharia is not on the agenda for the national capital.

In Depok this week several Islamic groups urged the Depok Legislative Council to immediately deliberate and pass an anti-prostitution and liquor bill, modeled on that of nearby Tangerang city. The debating of the Raperda Pelacuran dan Raperda Minuman Beralkohol has been made a priority of the current session of the Depok parliament and will likely be shortly passed into law.

We will give whatever support is necessary.
(Kita akan memberikan dukungan kapanpun dan dimanapun dibutuhkan.)

Said mediaindo Muhammadiyah Depok secretary Syamsul Kamar.

Not only Muhammadiyah, but Hizbut Tahrir, Jemaah Sholat Shubuh Gabungan Kota Depok, Forum Mudzakaroh Syariat Islam, Pemuda Islam Indonesia, Remaja Islam Depok, Ittihadul Muslimah Depok, also support the the bill.

Syamsul said that the bill was needed to maintain public order and security in Depok, citing data from the National Narcotics Agency of 138 drug cases in Depok this month/year.

Syamsul went on to say that those Muslims who opposed the bill would likely need to re-evaluate their committment to Islam and complained that opposition to the measures was unjustified since the majority of Indonesians were Muslims.

While councilor Dahlan of the PAN party cited the high incidence of sexually transmitted diseases in Depok as proof that prostitution needed to be cracked down on. 76 cases of Aids and 23 of syphilis had been recorded by the local Health Department, he said.

The data is very worrying and therefore steps need to be taken to protect society from free sex.
(Data tersebut sangat riskan dan sangat mengkhwatirkan dan karena itu perlu diambil langkah-langkah pencegahan dengan menjauhkan masyarakat dari perilaku seks bebas.)

Vice chairman of the local legislature, Agung Witjaksono, said hukumonline that the bill was part of a “moral development” drive. He went on to say that the Depok law differed from that in Tangerang in that not only dealt with the problem in terms of individuals but also institutions. In other respects he said it was almost exactly the same as the Tangerang ordinance but said that changes could be made to it if society were seen to want such a thing.

Before the bill is passed social organisations would be consulted, he said, and added:

We’ve already met with groups like the FPI [Islam Defenders Front], MUI [Ulema Council], and others.
(Kemarin kita sudah bertemu dengan ormas seperti FPI, MUI dan LSM lainnya.)

In more cosmopolitan Jakarta however, two of the candidates for the offices of mayor and vice-mayor have publicly distanced themselves from the idea of applying similar laws in the capital city. Economist Faisal Basri and former environment minister Sarwono Kusumaatmaja have both said gatra they would oppose any sharia-based ordinances in the capital city were they to be elected governor in the 2007 election.

Faisal and Sarwono spoke in a debate held Monday by campaign management group Sukses Kandidat Consultant, which was founded by former state minister for regional autonomy Ryaas Rashid. Faisal and Sarwono, who made themselves available to the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), were the only candidates to attend the debate.

Incumbent deputy governor Fauzi Bowo, National Police deputy chief Adang Daradjatun and former transportation minister Agum Gumelar, who are all also running for election, did not respond to the invitation. Organizers would only say that the three were busy and had been unable to confirm their attendance.

During the three-hour debate, Faisal said that if he were to become Jakarta’s next governor, he would not issue any sharia-based ordinances.

There can be no Islamic sharia law in Indonesia, that’s final. Wev’e already committed to Indonesia as a secular state.
(Tidak boleh ada Syariat Islam di Indonesia itu sudah final. Kita sudah komit negara Indonesia sebagai negara sekuler.)

said Faisal, who was once general secretary of the National Mandate Party. But he added that Islamic values were necessary for Indonesia to advance, and mentioned the examples of stopping land speculation and helping the poor.

Meanwhile, Sarwono said that according to the Constitution and the 2004 Law on Regional Autonomy, local authorities were not allowed to regulate the religious affairs of the public.

If there’s a referendum and it turns out that sharia loses then people have to accept it.
(Kalau referendum ada dan ternyata Syariat Islam kalah mereka harus menerima.)

Jakarta’s first-ever direct gubernatorial elections will be held July 2007.


11 Comments on “Morality Law for Depok”

  1. O. Bule says:

    Oh, no. Is there no end to this Sharia stupidity?

    O. Bule

  2. Andrew says:

    Disturbing.

  3. Miss Indo 07 says:

    and crazy..

  4. Benjamin says:

    Yo, lets get one thing straight. Indonesia consist of many religions. not just Moslem. so basically you cant force that syariah sh*t in our faces as the new law. because it is a religion law doesnt make it automatically right. this is a democracy country but u need to be understanding with other community man.

    GROW UP!

  5. Hassan says:

    did you know that sharia only applies to Muslims, not non Muslims? so, believe it or not, nobody is forcing anything on anyone. just Muslims try to live in a manner their God told them to live by.

  6. just a girl says:

    Well, since Sharia only applies to Muslims, then what is the point of instituting new regulations which would only apply to Muslim, who are supposed to be follwoing god anyway? Wouldn’t make more sense just to make a law and not hide it under a religious blanket- and thereby make the law apply to all people in Depok?

  7. Hassan says:

    the law of men are not the same as the law of God. Muslims have to follow God by following His laws (the sharia), not the law of men. look at what the law of men had brought to our country.

  8. Andrew says:

    The law of men should never be blamed for anything that has happened to this country. People in this country need to be able to think clearly and willingly abide to the law.

    It would be very naive to think that applying sharia will fix it all. But whether or not one wants to think that way, is none of my business.

  9. Hassan says:

    and the law of God should never be responded to with paranoia. I’m not talking to Christians here, of course they will object. I’m talking to Muslims who were also paranoid by the laws sent by their God, Allah SWT.

  10. Orang Waras says:

    Pardon me, but no Islamic countries with Sharia advance in anything except the political and religious elites use the religion and Sharia to persecute the minorities, curb religious freedom, denying full women egalitarian rights with men and shut the freedom of press and thinking especially when this is used to criticize the political and religious elites on their shameful scandals and corruptions and also to offer more rational, liberal and reasoned thinking on religious beliefs.

    Muslims themselves should reject the imposition of Sharia by force. Our piety to Allah SWT should be based love and sincerity not hypocrisy and fear of the moral “police”. Who are these people can be “moral” police while they themselves are not free from flaws and sins ? Moreover which sects of Islam and interpretation of Qur’an and Hadits should rule on the society ? What about minority Islamic sects who don’t believe in those rules and interpretation ?

    Will Sharia itself guarantee equal rights between citizens regardless faiths and genders?

    Only secular nation, which separate the State and Religions can guarantee that nobody above the laws and no one will be discriminated on their faiths, genders, sexual orientation, races and ethnicities.

    Islam yes, Sharia is no no.

  11. Sputjam says:

    No such thing as syariah law in the koran. Only commandments/guides for the faithful. Those who promote syariah law should be mindful on who are behind such lunacy. If they say that syariah is God’s law. then ask them to prove it.

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