GOVT HOPES JOINT DECREE ON AHMADIYAH CAN PREVENT CONFLICTS

Jakarta, June 10 (ANTARA)- The government expressed hope that the joint ministerial decree (SKB) on the Ahmadiyah sect, signed and issued on Monday night, could prevent communal conflicts triggered by polemics about the sect. Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto after attending a cabinet meeting at the presidential office here on Monday afternoon said the government has through the SKB made a ruling against Ahmadiyah and the public pertaining actions of violating the law. "We hope that the joint decree would prevent a recurrence of the conflict," Mardiayanto cited. Meanwhile, Attorney General Hendarman Supanji said, the government believed that that it was the right time to issue the decree on Monday (June 9), and it was issued under pressure against the government. "The decree is conveyed today because it is not so simple to formulate it, and the most difficult point is how to make the decree fair and based on legal, sociological and philosophical considerations," Hendarman said. The joint ministerial decree was signed by the Home Affairs Minister, Religious Affairs Minister and the Attorney General.Previously, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto denied allegations he was intentionally delaying the issuance of the joint decree.