INDEX of DENPASAR AS ISLAMIC CITY: PARADOX and REALITY (Accountability of Political Parties and Institutions)

INDEX OF DENPASAR AS ISLAMIC CITY: PARADOX AND REALITY (Accountability of Political Parties and Institutions) 1 2 Nazrina Zuryani and Muhammad Ali Azhar Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Udayana University, Sudirman Campus, Denpasar BALI e-mails : [email protected] dan [email protected] mobiles: +6281337301823 and +6281392548622 Abstract In May 2016 the Maarif Institute ranked 29 cities in Indonesia on an Index of Islamic City (IKI/Indeks Kota Islami). Those cities are ordered according to safety, welfare and happiness. Denpasar was ranked third, after Yogyakarta and Bandung. This ranking shows that shocks from the Bali bombings of the early 2000s have not had any deep impact on the nationalist parties and the non-sectarian Muslim (PKB party) play a significant accountability in local policy making. Furthermore no nationalist party supported the manifestations against 2. Neither did the PKB. As for the Islamist parties, they are absent on the Balinese stage, except for the PKS, which plays an ambiguous role. On the whole the achievement for Denpasar of a high Islamity index position is a result of non sectarian policies resting on the convergence of NU/Nahdatul Ulama moderate Islam with the tradition of tolerance embedded in Balinese culture. Key Word: Index of Denpasar Kota Islami, Political institutions, Cadre Parties Accountability INTRODUCTION The Maarif Institute is an institution which supports and promotes, within the context of a multi- cultural Indonesian, the principles of humanity and culture such as embodied in Islam. Among its studies, it has recently produced an index of Islamity, and ranked selected Indonesian cities according to their relative respect of Indeks Kota Islami/IKI or Islamic indicators in three variables. The first variable selected was security and safety, consisting of religious tolerance, security, law enforcement, leadership including women leadership, rights of children and 1 2 Lecturer of Program Studi Sosiologi or Sociology Department and Lecturer of Political Sciences, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Udayana University in Bali 2 On the 26th September 2016, during his regular visit to Pramuka Island among thousand islands compound, the governor of the Special Region of Jakarta, BTP/Basuki Tjahaja Purnama popularly called Ahok made in front of fishermen a reference to the manipulation of Quranic verses for political purposes. His statement was quickly foremost among them the FPI (Front of media frenzy, pro- and anti-declarations by almost every member of the political class, justice suit, huge demonstrations in Jakarta (on November 4th and December 12th 2016) and eventually condemnation, sentencing and jailing of the governor, who is now rotting in jail. For a critical interpretation of the whole affair, see Halkis, M. (2017), Redefinisi Penistaan Agama, Mitra, Jurnal Budaya & Filsafat, No. 17 Year XVII/May pp 30-39. 1 disabled. The second one was welfare and the third was happiness3. The general approach used to set up this index obviously rested on a non-literalist reading of the Quranic text such as practiced by modern clerics and researchers of Maarif Institute. According to Rais from the menjaga agama) in a narrow-minded way. Its meaning is broadened to mean (exercize) the right for anyone (Savitri, 30 Mei 2016 https://news.detik.com/berita/3221194/ maarif-institute-klarifikasi-soal- penelitian-indeks-kota-islami).. Denpasar is indeed a case in point. In the final ranking of the Maarif Institute, the city among twenty nine selected comes third, after Yogyakarta and Bandung. This is indeed a remarkable position: even though it is a Hindu-majority city with an important Muslim minority, it ranks as more Islamic than most Indonesian cities4. An example of city intolerance was the case of may exercise and challenge the nationalist parties and the non-sectarian Muslim such as PKB (National Awakening Party) in Denpasar to show their responsibility as political cadres on the position for Denpasar as IKI. The classification of Denpasar as an Islamic city raises questions. Is it a reality and in which way? How do Muslim political parties and organisations react to this paradox? What is the role of local traditions and culture in this achievement. To properly judge it, two ways have been chosen. Evaluating the attitude of Muslim political parties and organizations toward Islamist politics in the context of Denpasar; and taking note of framing the accountability of political parties and institutions in the pro and contra point of views on Denpasar as a melting pot city so as the reality of its safety, welfare and happines of the population. The information collected is then set for evaluation in the specific socio-cultural context of Bali. Data collection was methodologically based on direct or phone interviews of cadres, who are deemed best reflecting the accountability of their organizations. Information from other institutions such as NU and Muhammadiyah so as Jamaah of Al Qomar mushalla was also punctually recorded, and a short socio-historical observation of the Balinese background undertaken. The data analysis was conducted in two phases: The first step was interpreting the various responses regarding the variables used to define an Islamic city, with a focus on Denpasar and through a baseline survey on attitude and response of political parties and Muslim organisations from Denpasar about the 4/11 and 2/12 2017 mass demonstrations in Jakarta in 2016. Then second phase of data analysis based on several socio-cultural context of Balinese tolerance to focus on the findings that paradox and reality can be seen as juxtaposition of Denpasar in the so called Islamic indicators and variables. 3 Safety includes freedom of political rights, children and disability rights. Welfare comprises job availability and opportunities, proper income and access to health services; happiness comprises sharing, friendship and environmental harmony that creates conditions living comfort. 4 Jakarta is a region governed by a governor and not a mayor. For this technical reason, and owing to the 2 ISLAMIC INDICATORS AND VARIABLES First things come first. What is the actual state of affairs regarding the Islamic indicators mentioned above. Do the indicators used to judge variables such as safety, welfare and happines in the city of Denpasar correspond to reality. Balinese is 1,69 percent of Indonesian total population who claim to be 87 percent is Muslims. However, Statistic Buerau in Denpasar, published in 2013 the population of Hindu was 535.768, Muslims was 242.893 (almost 50 percent of the Hindu Balinese urban dwellers), while Katholic was 17.359, Protestant was 37.346, Budhist was 12.460, Other faiths was 374 and the total number of people in Denpasar was 846.200. Kompas.com predicted in 2012 that within two years, around 400 people were influx to Denpasar after Iedul Fitri occasion. Most of them were from Java. This data has no impact on Denpasar as Islamic city with those indicator and variables published by Maarif Institute in May 2016. First, regarding safety. The safety of Denpasar is demonstrated by the fact that various communities live harmoniously side by side: Muslims, Hindus, Budhist, Catholic, Christians, Kong Hu Chu and other religious minorities. The Bali bombing of 2002 and 2005 did not significantly disturb Islamic values in the city5. Even though cynical comments can be heard here and there regarding the December 2016 Jakarta demonstrations, following the imprisonment of Ahok, the ex governor of Jakarta last May 2017, it can be said that the level of safety of the city of Denpasar is still high. Regarding welfare, it cannot be denied that the city of Denpasar is one of the most dynamic cities of Indonesia. It attracts thousands of migrants every year. Many of them are Muslim. To people ere gold is income and sometimes even an easy access to health services. Regarding happiness, Denpasar is a favorite spot for tourists, not only from abroad, but also from Jakarta and other great Indonesian cities. Numerous cultural events take place in the city. Every year a cultural festival --Pekan Kesenian Bali is held in the city center of Denpasar and it is a place of cultural and social exchange across ethnic and religious lines. Must we add that non- Hindu, i.e Muslim Balinese are historically, and up to this day, traditionally considered as nyama Selam and participate to many social and even ritual events alongside their Hindu brothers (Trisila, 2015; Darmayana, 2005; Couteau, 1994; Vickers, 1989). On a more anecdotal level we can mention here that when Ahok was sued, there were invitations to have him run for the POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS What is the role of political parties towa Generally speaking. Commenting on the index of Islami cities released by the Maarif Institute, Jimly 6 Asshidiqie , a reputed expert in Islamic law and Islamic governance, underlines the role of 5 Couteau Jean: After the Bali Bombing, 2003 6 http://kelanakota.suarasurabaya.net/news/2016/171612-Indeks-Kota-Islami,-Denpasar-Jadi-Kota-Paling-Bahagia 3 Muslim leaders, e the syariah is implemented, where people pray, and where there are many mosques, but where criminality is very high (Abidin Z, 2016). In other words, he sees no correlation between Islamity and shariah. (2004, 24), he says that all political institutions should aim at building an Indonesian civil society. ummah itself beyond religious affiliation, and beyond the politics of religion. The politics of Islam itself, should follow the same principle as its main source of legitimacy. Within the same scope of understanding, the pursuance of Islamic values should respect and adapt to the local conditions that are deemed favorable. For example Hinduism in Bali, Animism in Papua and the likes in other parts of the country. In such contexts, the interpretations of the Quranic text should rests on the principles that irrigate the whole text rather than on litteral and often contradictory statements found in such or such verses.

Load more