106 islam, politics and change
3 The State
Noted lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, who served as President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono’s top legal adviser (2007–2009), says that he
strongly argued against disbanding Ahmadiyah but that the skb was still
issued as a compromise due to pressure from hardliners.⁷ This seems to be
confirmed in a confidential diplomatic cable of 11 June 2008 in which the
us Embassy in Jakarta reported to Washington on the skb’s coming into
force. The cable states that embassy officials had raised us concerns about
the decree with one of Yudhoyono’s foreign affairs advisers, who allegedly
told the Americans that the decree’s ambiguous wording was ‘a delicate
balance’ and that ‘we have to be a little tricky’ in devising a compromise.⁸
In terms of both domestic laws and international covenants and
declarations, however, there is no lack of willingness on the part of the
Indonesian government to show its dedication to the freedom of religion.
To name a few examples, in 2005 Indonesia ratified the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (iccpr), while 60 years earlier
the fledgling republic had already mentioned in its constitution that
‘[t]he state will guarantee the freedom to every resident to adhere to their
respective religion and to perform their religious duties in accordance
with their religion and that faith’.⁹
3.1 Executive Branch: Dialogue that Remained a Monologue
In the immediate aftermath of the deadly Cikeusik incident, President
Yudhoyono surprised observers with a statement that many considered
rather mild. He said he ‘regretted’ the fact that people had died. He
did order a thorough investigation and said that police apparently had
failed to offer protection.¹⁰ Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister
for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, added that the government
‘condemns whoever is behind violence against any Indonesian citizen’.
Adnan Buyung Nasution,Nasihat untuk sby(Jakarta: Kompas Media Nusantara,
2012): 88–107.
[us] Embassy Jakarta, Cable No. 08jakarta1143, ‘Sect members allowed to
worship despite edict’. Created 11 June 2008, released by WikiLeaks on 30
August 2011, http://wikileaks.org/cable/2008/06/08JAKARTA1143.html (accessed
10 September 2011).
Muhammad Asʾad, ‘Ahmadiyah and the freedom of religion in Indonesia’,Journal
of Indonesian Islam3–2 (December 2009): 390–413, 392–393.
‘Police negligent in Ahmadiyah attack: Yudhoyono’,Tempo, 8 February 2011, www
.tempo.co.id/hg/nasional/2011/02/08/brk,20110208-312084,uk.html (accessed 5
October 2011).