Obama’s Jakarta Envoy Snubs Religious Liberty Protestors
Obama’s Man In Jakarta has a pretty pathetic record on defending religious liberties here.
===========
U.S.Ambassador Scot Marciel famously took afternoon tea with the sectarian Mayor of Bekasi to discuss tolerance, while on the same day he ignored a protest by Bekasi Christians against the Islamist Bekasi authorities’ endless persecution of their church. http://rossrightangle.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/another-golkar-islamist-appeaser-whats-us-ambassador-got-to-say-about-his-host-now/
===================
=========
So maybe no surprise that last week the American Embassy refused even to meet any of the decent Indonesians who turned up to protest plans to award President SBY a ‘tolerance’ trophy. I was aware of the demo on the news, but missed the key part of the story – the snub. Mea culpa – I will pay more attention in future!
——————
========
The scheme by New York Rabbi Schreier has been deemed an ‘insult’ by pro-tolerance people across the archipelago. http://rossrightangle.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/tormented-creeds-us-rabbis-indonesia-award-an-insult/
As Jaringnews.com reports, a group from the Clergy Forum of Greater Jakarta held a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy, Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Monday and almost clashed with police.
Their action was aimed at urging the Appeal of Conscience Foundation Foundation (ACF) to suspend its 30th May plan to award a prize for religious harmony to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY).
The group was disappointed that the U.S. Embassy refused to accept their memorandum of rejection.
“What’s wrong with us, that they don’t want to accept this delegation of the Clergy Forum of Greater Jakarta?” asked Pastor Palti Panjaitan.
=================
================
An attempt to get further into the U.S. Embassy office was dispersed by a number of officers. “Please excuse us, ladies and gentlemen, not one of the U.S. Embassy delegation wants to receive you,” said Metro Police Chief’s Warsito.
–
–
“We hope you ladies and gents can accept that…” said Metro Police Chief Commissioner Tatan Dirsan Gambir.
The cops helpfully advised protestors to take their memo to SBY’s very own Ministry of Foreign Affairs!
Well, maybe the polite Indonesian victims had to accept it, but how do our American readers feel about this disgraceful and discourteous affront to exactly the sort of citizens who look to democratic countries for at least a hearing, if not support?
================
=============
On a normal working day there was NOBODY prepared, or even just polite enough, to accept an important message from these honest people?
Hogwash.
There’s ALWAYS somebody there. If they were to idle to shift their bureaucratic butts, they could have sent a security guard to the gate to accept the protest note.
NO WAY was this any kind of oversight!
It was a calculated snub!
===========
Naive, I suppose, to expect much from an envoy of an enemy of freedom like Obama. And that’s me speaking as a non-American who likes America. I’d say the same for that clown Cameron, who, like Obama, came here and mouthed platitudes about pluralism, ignoring the persecution.
The crowd included Coordinator for Social Organization of Ahlulbayt Support of Education (OASIS) Emilia AZ J. Rachmat, the board of the Indonesian Christian Student Movement Center (GMKI), HKBP Filadelfia’s Pastor, Palti Panjaitan, Coordinator of Clergy Forum of Greater Jakarta, Pdt. Erwin Marbun, and a number of activists...
Reverend Marbun summed it up well in another report.
“In fact, President SBY has not obeyed the law,” Marbun told World Watch Monitor. “He missed in law enforcement in Indonesia.”
“Look at the closure of places of worship in Indonesia as happened at GKI Yasmin, HKBP Filadelfia, the Shia in Sampang who can not return home till today, and the Ahmadiyah who are terrified by violence…” http://www.christiantoday.com/article/indonesias.christians.question.tolerance.award.for.president/32453.htm





Reply