The Politics of Post-epidemic Religion Is Predicted To Be Even More Intolerant

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Andy Budiman was optimistic about seeing the future of Indonesia after the corona epidemic. Unconsciously, the Covid-19 pandemic made identity politics or sectarian politics generally decline. Even though it still exists, according to him, during the pandemic there was relatively no room for movement.

Another hope, continued Andy, the face of religion has become more rational. Thus, he was pleased with the reaction of the religious community who responded to Covid-19 by relying on science.

"The political attitudes of religious leaders now support scientific advice on ways to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic," said a former journalist who had worked at Deutsche Welle, SCTV, the Radio News Agency (KBR) and one of the founders of the Journalists Union. for persagman (COOL).

Andy also witnessed, in the face of a pandemic, the spirit of unity in humanity transcended the barriers of religion, race, or commonly called SARA.

Even so, in the webinar "The Future of Post-Pandemic Religious Politics" held (19/5) by SEJUK and Internews, Andy was cautious. He views, if the space of uncertainty felt by the public in health, economics and politics is getting bigger, because of the government's lack of responsiveness, then the greater the level of one's religiosity caused by a pandemic. As a result, religiosity increased after the pandemic ended.

The same thing is worried by Firliana Purwanti from the Democratic Party who questioned the government, as a policy maker, appearing to be inconsistent in ensuring public health and how to deal with the economy of its citizens affected by Covid-19. According to Firli, programs run by the government are class biased, gender biased and not on target, so vulnerable groups do not get attention.

"Government programs do not touch women who work a lot in the informal area, as domestic workers," said Firli who served as Head of the Democratic Party's Women's Empowerment & Child Protection Bureau.

He referred to data from the National Commission on Violence Against Women and LBH Apik related to cases of violence against women (domestic violence) that were more intense during Covid-19. Unfortunately, the government is still ignorant of the group of women who are currently very marginal, because the workload during Covid-19 has doubled.

The same thing was said by a member of Commission III of the Republic of Indonesia DPR Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) Faction M. Nasir Djamil. For him, actions of community non-compliance in implementing government regulations could be due to seeing the inconsistency of the authorities in responding to a pandemic.

"Like a few days ago I went to the market in Ciawi, there were still many who did not wear masks," Nasir Djamil said while delivering a message so that people who did not know or did not care were not seen as social insubordination.

For this reason, he also urged Indonesian Muslims to adhere to health protocols, maintain discipline, because that, according to him, is a medicine to overcome the pandemic. As for the government, he demands that policies with published rules are carried out consistently. The government was also asked to be more sympathetic to the people exposed to the corona.

Nasir Djamil did not forget to urge Muslims to comply with the MUI fatwa by holding Eid prayers at home. So, he continued, the way of religion of Muslims during a pandemic should change from extrinsic to intrinsic behavior.

What Andy Budiman, Firliana Purwanti and Nasir Djamil explained above answered the questions Ilham Khoiri, editor of Kompas Daily Culture, as moderator of the webinar, about the response of political parties to the tension between religion and science (medical) and political future such as what they want to take after the epidemic.

Ilham provided the background, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the politicization of religion and the religious processions. Covid-19 also confronted religion and science strongly, in which political components were also mixed.

Ilham said, for example, Covid-19 made all parties see health science data as a basis for consideration for the government to impose a large-scale social restriction policy (PSBB), on the one hand, however, narratives from religious communities, such as, that death is in the hands of God is no less intense, on the other hand.

In responding to Ilham's question, Gusdurian Network coordinator Alissa Wahid shared her anxiety regarding religious communities who were stuttering about the Covid-19 situation. Many of the religious communities that Alissa said gave 100 percent of the pandemic to God.

Therefore, only strong religious groups hold the principle of "avoiding damage and ugliness rather than taking and benefiting" in a pandemic situation that will help speed Covid-19 over.

Alissa's concern is not without cause. The daughter of the late President Abdurrahman Wahid believes that Indonesia is categorized as a socio-centric society. The interests of groups are more important than the interests of individuals. So, social leaders are more powerful. Unfortunately, government policies in dealing with pandemics have forgotten them.

"The government must involve social leaders in efforts to overcome Covid-19," suggested Alissa, who is also one of the dynamic movements of moral figures of religious and national figures who several times visited President Jokowi at the Merdeka Palace.

He criticized the political parties which during the pandemic just show off and pursue their own interests. He gave an example that the 'kekeh' parliament discusses several laws that have received much opposition from the public. This act actually reinforces the public's distrust of parliament.

"During a pandemic, the DPR overtook the corner," he regretted.

Seeing the inconsistency of the government in dealing with Covid-19, public distrust of parliament and the tendency of Indonesian society to be increasingly conservative, intolerant, Alissa Wahid predicted that post-epidemic religious politics would be worse than now. []

Sumber: sejuk