UCANews (www.ucanews.com), 9/11/2006
UCAN: Catholic Youth organization to Indonesian gov't: Abolish
death penalty
AMBON, Indonesia (UCAN) – Pemuda Katolik (Catholic Youth) called at the end of
its recent national congress for the government to abolish capital punishment in the
country.
The organization's newly elected national board chairman, Marningrot Tua Natalis
Situmorang, announced the call during a Sept. 3 press conference at the end of the
13th Pemuda Katolik congress, held this time in Ambon, capital of Maluku province,
2,340 kilometers (about 1,450 miles) northeast of Jakarta.
Accompanied by general secretary Cosmas Refra and regional coordinators,
Situmorang read the congress declaration: "Pemuda Katolik rejects all death
sentences in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, because only God has
the right to take a human life."
According to Situmorang, the death sentence must be abolished "because it is
against the International Convention on Human Rights."
On principle, he said, Pemuda Katolik rejects all death sentences, including those of
Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva. The three Catholics who were
convicted of killing ! 200 Muslims during sectarian riots in May and June 2000 in
Poso, Central Sulawesi.
Pemuda Katolik, he added, also rejects the death sentences handed down in 2003 for
three men convicted for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombing.
Asked how the organization would fight against the death penalty in the country, Refra
told media that Pemuda Katolik would campaign for the legislature to abolish capital
punishment. "We want to change the death penalty law through legislation. The death
sentence exists in the criminal code and will disappear when we take it out of the
code," he said.
Syaifullah Yu! suf, state minister for acceleration of development in backward regions,
opened the Aug. 30-Sept. 2 national congress. Also attending the opening of the
triennial event at St. Francis Xavier Hall in Ambon were Karel Albert Ralahalu and
Abdullah Latuconsina, respectively Maluku's governor and deputy governor, as well as
several religious leaders including Sacred Heart Bishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of
Amboina (Ambon).
The congress attracted 300 participants from all provinces of Indonesia and elected
Situmorang as the new chairman to succeed Nicolaus Uskono.
Another recommendation of the congress concerned the development of outlying
provinces such as Bangka Belitung, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku,
North Sulawesi, Riau and West Nusa Tenggara, most comprising several islands.
"Pemuda Katolik asks the central government to accelerate the development in the
seven provinces by giving them bigger budgets than they have received so far," says
one recommendation.
The budget for a province, the participants explained in the document, is based on its
total land area, which is biased against archipelagic provinces because they have
smaller land areas.
During the opening Mass, Bishop Mandagi asked the participants to discuss the
rights of these provinces, including Maluku. As an archipelagic province, it should
have a bigger development fund, he said, ! calling for the national government to
change the basis for allocating funds among the provinces.
The bishop also asked Pemuda Katolik to take a more active role in building a more
civilized society in Indonesia. The prelate reminded Catholic youth that the public life
in the country, including Maluku, is not fully "human and civilized" yet, as is evident
from rampant corruption.
The Catholic youth association also called on the national government and legislature
to allocate funds to support activities of the Indonesian Catholic Church's national
Bible month in September, which will include competitions in Bible knowledge,
Bible-reading, choir performances and psalm singing.
Other recommendations included establishment of Pemuda Katolik national and
regional legal-assistance centers for people who cannot otherwise get such
assistance, training of Pemuda Katolik leaders in management skills and promotion of
gender equality within the organization.
Uskono said in his speech that he supports the association's new leadership and
programs. The outgoing Pemuda Katolik chairman expressed his happiness at seeing
Muslim children from Batu Merah Mosque perform a dance to welcome Minister Yusuf
and Governor Ralahalu at the congress venue on the Catholic cathedral premises. The
situation shows that peace has returned in the once conflict-torn area, he said.
The participants agreed to hold their next congress in Manado, the capital of North
Sulawesi province, on Aug. 30, 2009.
Christian-Muslim clashes from 1999 to 2002 in Maluku and North Maluku, which
became a separate province in 1999, killed more than 6,000 people and displaced
another 750,000. Ambon was a focal point for the violence.
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