Edition The Institute 28 WAHID March 2010 Monthly Report on Religious Issues EDITOR’S WORD Gus Dur Buddhist Statue Display Closed ince the death of KH Abdurrah- Tedi Kholiludin man Wahid, people have paid their Srespects in many different ways. A 29 year old sculptor from Central Java, Cipto Purnomo, created a Buddha statue featuring Gus Dur’s head. One of Cipto’s friends crafted a “Gus Dur Gladiator” statue and a “Gus Dur Mountain” statue within 40 days of the former president’s death. The Buddhist statue sparked pro- test from the Indonesian Theravada Youth (PATRIA) Headquarters as it was considered degrading, and the statues, on display at Mendut art gallery in Magelang, were taken down. Photograph: Statue of the Buddha featuring Gus Dur’s head Photo.SCTV In addition, throughout February there were more problems with the n silence and with resignation, Cipto from display, which coincided with the establishment of houses of worship. A Purnomo (29) slowly arranged the 40th day anniversary since Gus Dur’s number of local organisations placed planks of wood. But he was not death, was accompanied by a ritual or pressure on the Church of Galilee in I making a bonfire; instead Cipto was performance art. However, in this case Bekasi to close its doors. In Bogor, the sealing off the “Statue of Gus Dur’s Con- the ceremony was much quieter than local government gave in to pressure from several groups, with the mayor science” with the planks. On top of the usual, with only a reading of mantras revoking the building permit granted planks was a sign reading “statue closed and Javanese hymns. to the Yasmin Church in Curug Mekar. to public” and “what should we do with Cipto said he closed the statue for Saddened by these incidences, two re- this statue?”, “we will leave it to compe- the common good, as quoted by Suara ligious organisations, PGI (Indonesian tent people”, “we apologise to those who Merdeka, (15/02). He is a sculptor who Protestant Church Fellowship) and KWI have been offended by our actions”, “for lives near Borobudur, and in 2009 he (Indonesian Catholic Church Conferen- our learning, as we are village people in received the Indonesian World Record ce), complained to Parliament on Tues- need of enlightenment (humans are far Museum (MURI) award for making the day (9/02) and urged that the issue be more important than statues)”. smallest Buddhist statue from gold. It resolved. The closure of the display at Men- measured only 8x5x4mm. As well as reporting on the judicial dut art gallery in Magelang (14/02) review of PNPS 1965, this edition of marked the end of the controversy Offence MRORI also features cases concerning over the Buddhist statue that bore the The controversy over the Gus Dur deviance, banning of the jilbab, alcohol consumption and a waria (transvestite) head of the fourth Indonesian presi- Buddha statue began with a protest contest. dent, KH Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus from the Indonesian Theravada Youth Dur). In addition to Cipto’s statue, two (PATRIA) headquarters, who felt the Enjoy Reading! other statues were also taken off display, statue resembled the Buddha. “We will namely Sujono’s Gus Dur Gladiator and inform Mr Cipto Purnomo, the artist of Ismanto’s Gus Dur Mountain. Both were this piece of work, of our feelings. May- covered with white cloths, resembling be out of a lack of awareness, he has de- mummies. graded the figure of our Great Teacher The official removal of the statues and the World’s Great Teacher,” said Publisher: The Wahid Institute | Directors: Yenny Zannuba Wahid, Ahmad Suaedy | Chief Editor: Rumadi | Executive Editor: Alamsyah M. Dja’far | Board of Editors: Ahmad Suaedy, Gamal Ferdhi, Alamsyah M. Dja’far | Editorial Staff: M. Subhi Azhari, Nurun Nisa’, Badrus Samsul Fata | Translator: Rebecca Lunon | Cover & Lay out: Ulum Zulvaton | Contributors: Noor Rahman (Jakarta), Dindin A. Ghazali, Suhendy (West Java), Nur Khalik Ridwan (Central Java and Yogyakarta), Tedi Kholiludin (Central Java), Zainul Hamdi (East Java), Syamsul Rijal Adhan (Makassar), Yusuf Tantowi, Akhdiansyah (NTB) | Address: The Wahid Institute , Jln Taman Amir Hamzah 8, Jakarta - 10320 | Phone +62 21 3928 233, 3145 671 I Fax. +62 21 3928 250 Email: [email protected] Website: www. wahidinstitute.org. Published by The Wahid Institute in cooperation with TIFA Foundation. ■ Monthly Report on Religious Issues, Edition XXVIII, March 2010 the director of PATRIA headquarters, nity with his work. However, he said, the School in Tegalrejo, Magelang, KH Mu- Tanagus Dharmawan (detik.com, 8/01). statue was not at all intended to offend. hammad Yusuf Chudlori, said that he The work was purely a symbol of the believed that Cipto had no intention great role Gus Dur played during his life, of insulting any religion. “There was no “At the time I was a role that Buddha Guatama also played. intention to insult another religion be- creating the statue I saw “At the time I was creating the statue I cause Gus Dur was pluralistic and also it symbolically. It was not saw it symbolically. It was not my aim or never degraded other religions. The intention to offend any religion,” Cipto work was intended as an expression of my aim or intention to Purnomo emphasised to detik.com in art. However the artist must apologise offend any religion,” Blangkunan, Muntilan, Magelang, Cen- as it seems some have been offended Cipto Purnomo tral Java, on Monday (8/2). by his work. Those who have been of- For Cipto the world of statues is very fended must also be able to understand much a part of his own flesh and blood. this,” Gus Yusuf said (antaranews.com, Taking a different stance to PATRIA He told how he first began work on the 14/2). headquarters, the Indonesian Buddhist statue on invitation from the owner of In Ciganjur, Gus Dur’s son in law, Representative (Walubi) had no con- Mendhut art gallery, Sutanto, in order Dhohir Farisi, understood Cipto and cerns with the statue and urged that to celebrate the 40 day anniversary of his associates’ love of Gus Dur as ex- the issue not be blown out of propor- Gus Dur’s passing. “One week before pressed in the statue as an expression tion. the event was to be held in the Men- of art. However, Dhohir also felt that if “In terms of teachings there is no dut art gallery, Mr Tanto contacted me the Buddhist community was offended problem, the only problem is it’s not and asked me to sculpt a statue,” said by the statue, then the sculptor had to ethical. Maybe it’s just a lack of under- the primary school teacher. After much respond to their feelings, “If there is any standing. There’s no need to make it brainstorming he chose the body of a debate amongst the Buddhist commu- into a big issue,” said the director of the Buddha. He explained that works of art nity, the artist must respond.” And what Central Java branch of Walubi, David are created subjectively based on the did Yenny Wahid have to say on the is- Hermanjaya, during Chinese New Year artist’s imagination and observations of sue? “Yenny also saw the statue. We just celebrations at Liong Hok Bio temple, his environment. Cipto acknowledged laughed. It’s a statue of Gus Dur wearing Magelang, on Saturday (kompas.com, that he was close to and had been raised a white peci (rimless cap) and so on. It’s 13/2). near Borobodur, and as a result he had an expression of art,” Dhohir said (detik. The sculptor, Cipto, apologised for much admiration for the Buddha. com, 8/2). having offended the Buddhist commu- Director of the API Islamic Boarding M Government Refuses to Annul the PNPS, PGI Demands Alamsyah M. Dja’far iffering from the stances and PGI in the plenary session at the Con- in horizontal conflict. The PAN cadre declarations made by several stitutional Court Building in Jakarta on even emphasised that religious prin- Dothers, the Federation of In- Thursday (4/02). If there was no clear ciples could not be bargained with. It donesian Churches (PGI) has asked boundary concerning this issue, “we are was highly possible, he continued, that the government to be critical of Law concerned that state intervention will annulling the law would lead to people Number 1 of 1965 on Prevention of go too far,” he said. taking the law into their own hands. “It Religious Defamation and/or Abuse. In He explained that within Christianity is fitting and reasonable that the appli- particular, they singled out how much there are many different denomina- cants demanding such freedom be ig- authority the government has when it tions. And Christianity in the Middle nored and rejected,” he said. comes to religious interpretation and East is quite different to that found in He also argued that the PNPS had prosecution of differing interpretations. Indonesia. “However there is a joint helped create religious harmony with- “PGI feels that there should be a de- commitment, that while the teachings in Indonesia because it regulated and cision made on religious defamation. may differ, the holy book must remain equalized all religions in the eyes of the What is the definition of defamation? the same,” he said. PGI also urged the law, and also guaranteed adherents the Does the government have the right to government to carefully consider these freedom to hold religious activities. Patri- prosecute or to interpret what is most cases, and establish an internal control alis even insinuated that the applicants true, even though some small groups within religious bodies.