Tedi Kholiludin
Penghayat Kepercayaan in Indonesia is a term for those who have beliefs outside the six religions that are guaranteed and given structural support. These beliefs come from local traditions. Therefore, this group is often referred to as adherents of local religions. I will bring penghayat kepercayaan and adherents of this local religion up interchangeably to indicate similar meaning.
In Indonesia, adherents of this local religion are facilitated by the Ministry of Education and Culture, not the Ministry of Religious Affairs such as Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. This facilitation also shows how the government views adherents of these local beliefs; as a successor to culture, not a religious believer.
Adherents of local religions, often face problems in their daily lives. The problems they faced before the reform era in 1999 were at least in three aspects; laws and regulations, population document services (Identity Card, Family Card) and stigma or discrimination committed by the community.
Indonesia recognizes Presidential Decree No. 1/PNPS/1965 on the Prevention of Blasphemy and Abuse of Religions. This decree does not recognize Aliran Kepercayaan (belief groups) as a religion that is embraced or exists in Indonesia, so they need to be guaranteed. The content of this law distinguishes local religion from the six “official religions.”
Population administration services also face problems. Their religious identity on the National Identity Card is required to choose one of 5-6 “recognized” by the state. They themselves are categorized as “non-religious” citizens. So, in terms of belief, for instance, they are adherents of Parmalim (Local Religion in North Sumatra), but on the Identity Card their identity is written Christian. Meanwhile, those who did not want to have their religious identity written on their identity card with one of the six religions, chose to have a sign (-). The choice was not easy, because in 1966 and a decade later, emptying the religion was not without political repercussions. They were wary of being involved in communist groups in Indonesia.
The inclusion of religious identity on the ID Card has implications for other administrative matters such as Family Cards, marriage registration and others. There is a case where a citizen who because of his religious identity on his ID card is written strip (-) experienced various difficulties such as civil servants and so on.
Despite facing various discriminations, Aliran Kepercayaan or religions in Indonesia are not completely extinct. Because of this faith, no matter how wrapped in different appearance, it will still stay in their hearts and minds, due to the fact that it is what we call faith. In the past, they might have to negotiate with the situation (politics) so they had to choose or convert into one of the religions. It was circumstances that required them to do that.
As Indonesia commenced the reform phase, on the one hand there were demands for improvements in bureaucracy and facilitation of citizens to eliminate all forms of discrimination. Meanwhile, on the other hand, although stigma still exists and discriminatory rules have not been removed, this local religious group still exists. So, it’s interesting to see how they build social resilience.
Social Resilience is the ability of a social system to maintain its social integrity or integration, when and/or after being disturbed, both from within and from outside.
I will describe the internal and external factors that make these local religious groups create social resilience so that they can survive despite the many problems that confront them.
First; Regulation In 2017, the Constitutional Court accepted Penghayat Kepercayaan demands regarding the inclusion of their identity on ID Cards. The inclusion of their identity as adherents of local religions on Identity Cards is one form of government accommodation for Penghayat Kepercayaan in the Population Administration Law.
Second, the national education curriculum accommodates lessons on Penghayat Kepercayaan. In 2016, the Ministry of Education issued a regulation on services for the education of Penghayat Kepercayaan. Aliran kepercayaan then became one of the subjects from elementary school, junior high school to high school.
Third, recognition from the academic community. To meet the needs of subject teachers regarding aliran kepercayaan, one of the universities in Semarang opened Department of Penghayat Kepercayaan’ Education. The availability of this department is not only seen as a practical need, but also recognition from the university community for the existence of Penghayat Kepercayaan.
Fourth, resilience is created because the group of Penghayat Kepercayaan themselves have the confidence to express their identity to the public. The creation of a conducive environment, one of which is through regulations, makes access to Penghayat Kepercayaan to fulfill basic needs as citizens more open.
As part of the religious community, the openness of space for local believers in carrying out their lives (including religious freedom), is good news for all of us, all religious believers. As far as I know, this group is a good example in perpetuating and preserving the heritage of ancestors especially related to culture, the maintenance of the universe and so on.
