Posted in: Religion

The vice presidential debate on 21 January garnered considerable public attention when Muhaimin Iskandar, the running mate of Anies Baswedan, borrowed the term 'ecological repentance' from Pope Francis. What does this tell us about the dynamics of religious politics in Indonesia?

On 12 September Muhadjir Effendy, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, announced a change in nomenclature for Christian national holidays. The decision was made to adopt the term “Yesus Kristus”, the name of Jesus Christ used by Indonesian Christians, instead of “Isa al-Masih”, the Arabic term used for Jesus in the Qur’an. Although intended to protect Indonesia’s diverse religious traditions, the policy change reflects how easily religious policies can become a point of contestation among Indonesia’s religiously diverse communities.

As Indonesia prepares for the 2024 general elections, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) – the nation's largest religious organisation – finds itself in at the centre of a political tug of war as presidential candidates and political parties actively jostle for its endorsement. NU’s leaders need to keep in mind that competition for NU’s endorsement has the potential to influence not only the country's political landscape, but also the organisation itself.