Jakarta, Indonesia - Although most of the nation's political parties declare their opposition to the enforcement of sharia, inconsistencies in what is said and done seem to rule in regions where Islamic law has been adopted into bylaws.
Regencies and mayoralties such as Padang, West Sumatra, Cianjur, West Java, and Bulukumba, South Sulawesi, have issued regulations that support the implementation of sharia despite it contravening the 2004 Regional Autonomy Law.
The factional head of the National Mandate Party (PAN) in the House of Representatives, Abdillah Toha, told The Jakarta Post Wednesday that PAN does not support bylaws that enforce strict Islamic law, such as obliging all women to wear headscarves and to cover their bodies according to Islamic principles.
He asserted that PAN supports pluralism in the country.
However, as the biggest vote-getter in Padang in the 2005 polls, its representatives there did not raise any objection to the mayor's decision to "recommend" -- tantamount to an instruction -- that female students wear headscarves.
Although the mayor has said it was not a requirement of non-Muslims, in practice those of minority faiths have given in to pressure to conform.
Abdillah said that he had not heard about the situation in Padang but would look into it.
Although he said the party objected to strict Islamic rules in regulations, it approved of those promoting "Islamic moral values", such as prohibitions on drinking alcohol and gambling.
"Islamic values are universal," he said.
Both the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) said they disapproved of religion-based regulations but, once again, their representatives failed to stop their implementation in the regions.
PDI-P secretary-general Pramono Anung said the enforcement of sharia would be a gigantic step back from what the nation's founding fathers agreed upon in the Constitution.
Islamic rules were necessary but not for implementation by the state, he added.
"Sharia law should be adhered to by Muslims' individually," he said.
The party believes that local administrations do not have the authority to issue religion-based regulations, and Pramono feared their implementation would be divisive.
He also feared a backlash, with regions where Muslims were not the majority enforcing regulations based on the predominant faith.
"Bali, North Sulawesi, Papua and Maluku would be curious about proposing religion-based bylaws," he said of the areas, with a majority Hindu population in Bali and mostly Christian populations in the other areas.
The head of general affairs of PKB, A.S. Hikam, said the country adhered to national laws and the Constitution, not sharia.
"Since the beginning of the nation, sharia has not been implemented by state enforcement, because our nation is very pluralistic," Hikam said.
The United Development Party (PPP) was ambivalent in its stance, with faction head Endin A.J Soefihara saying the party could not say it was completely opposed to the issuance of the bylaws. He said the bylaws might be considered discriminatory, but it all depended on the lawmaking process.
He also noted that since PPP was not the majority in regional areas, the party tried to support the general aspirations of the people there.
Only the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has been consistent in its position of considering the bylaws to be positive.
Head of the PKS faction at the House of Representatives Mahfudz Shidiq said that religious identity was within the authority of the central government, but religion, as a set of norms, was not.
According to him, there are many spheres in which religious norms were permitted. "Education, the economy and social sector are areas which are in the hands of the local administrations," he said.