5.3. The Period of Indonesia's Independence (1945-present)
Before
Ir. Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed the national
independence of Indonesia on August 17, 1945, some members of
the Protestant church in Minahasa had sought to be autonomous from
the Indische Kerk (The Church of the Netherlands Indie).
This aspiration materialized
with the inauguration of Minahasa
Protestant Church Assemblies
(Kerapatan Gereja Protestan Minahasa or KGPM)
in April 21, 1933, as a “revolutionary institution, not against
missionary organisations but in conflict with a state-dominated
Protestant church.”1
KGPM is regarded as “the expression of the wish to be Minahasan,
Christian, and independent.”2
A year later, in September 30, 1934, with the blessing of the
Indische Kerk, the Minahasan Protestant Church was
established with the name Gereja Masehi Injili di Minahasa
(GMIM) or The Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa.3
A
historical event within GMIM was in 1942, when Rev. A. Z. R. Wenas,
who since 1927 had been the director of the theological college in
Tomohon, became the first Minahasan moderator of the GMIM. As a
capable leader and ecclesiastical figure, he was able to lead GMIM
through the rough time of Japanese occupation (1941-1945), the Perang
Kemerdekaan (Independence War 1945-1949)4
and the Permesta (All people struggle) (1957-1961).5
These incidents brought tremendous suffering to the people in
Minahasa and North Sulawesi in general. A relief in the form of a
sudden economic boom hit Minahasa in the early 1980s when the price
of cloves rose enormously. However, when the price crashed down, many
farmers abandoned their fields or sold them altogether.
In
2000, as reported by Verrianto Madjowa (Tempo.co.id, August 5,
2000), more than a thousand Minahasans from each sub-ethnic group
gathered together at Bukit Inspirasi (Inspiration Hill)
auditorium, Tomohon, for Kongres Minahasa Raya (The
Pan-Minahasa Congress). The matter at hand was crucial because
Indonesia was at a crossroads, and Minahasa was ready for any
consequence if the Jakarta Charter, which prescribed Shari'a Islam in
the Pancasila (five principles), would be adopted as an amendment to
the Constitution. At this time, grotesquely provoked ethnic and
religious conflicts were raging in several parts of Indonesia, such
as in Ambon (the Moluccas) and Poso (Central Sulawesi).
Indonesia
made it through, and within two years, with Pancasila still as one of
the four pillars of the Republic,6
the bill of regional autonomy (UU No. 22) passed the House of
Representatives. In this so-called Reformation Era, mending the dark
social consequences of violent conflicts and building an open and
fair democracy, while fighting corrupt military and civil officials,
was not an easy task. Yet there seemed to be more synergy between the
people and the government in trying to make a better Indonesia, given
that it was not without blemish. Minahasa since then has been divided
into different regional and municipal administrations, though not
without pros and cons. In this case, the democracy in Minahasa had
grown more mature.
Minahasa,
which in Indonesia is better known as Manado, prides itself as a
compass of religious tolerance in Indonesia, as well as a pocket of
Christianity in otherwise the largest Muslim population in the world.
In this region, other than
churches of different denominations, there are mosques, Mahayana and
Hinayana Temples, Sanatana Dharma Pura (Shrines), Confucian temples,
and Yehudi Sinagogues. The Bukit
Kasih (Hill of Love)
in wanua
Kanonang has been a symbol of the expression: Torang Samua
Basudara (Manado Malay) “We all are brothers and sisters.”
This place features different symbols of the inter-ethnic religions
in Indonesia, including a stone called Toar-Lumimuut.
In
the celebration of the 177th anniversary of GMIM’s
Evangelization and Christian Education in 2008, Elder Dr. Paula
Lumentut-Runtuwene, speaking on behalf of the committee, affirmed
that the success of the mission work in Minahasa was due to the work
of the Holy Spirit through Riedel and Schwarz (eBAHANA.com,
August 9, 2008). These two NZG missionaries have been
regarded as the primary figures in Minahasan mission, yet as we have
seen the history of Christian faith in this land goes back to the
first Catholic missionaries and forward beyond the NZG, including the
mission work within the Adventist, Pentecostal and Charismatic
movements, to mention but a few.
Back
to the early years, there were many people who gave up being in their
own homeland and came to work in Minahasa. This includes the natives
of Ambon. As we remember their labor, it is crucial also to remember
the Minahasan sons and daughters who shared the Gospel to their
kawanua (compatriots) in the villages and schools,
notwithstanding the first generation of Minahasan Christians,
including the walian and tona'as, who accepted the
faith of Christ when this meant losing their privileges and dignity
among their people.
From
here it appears that the meeting of Minahasa and Christianity is very
much misrepresented by the term “christianization.” The idea
behind this term is deterministic, suggesting that the Minahasans
were passive recipients (object) of the faith preached by the
missionaries. But in our story, we initiated, acted and reacted, for
and against Christianity. It is true that some rejected the message
in total, some accepted it for practical benefits as it was the
religion of the colonial powers, but some upon hearing the message
repented and embraced the faith as theirs, totally aware of who they
were as Minahasans. “They have,” as Bediako writes, “like the
apostle Paul, handed to us the assurance that with our Christian
conversion, we are not introduced to a new God unrelated to the
traditions of our past, but to One who brings to fulfillment all the
highest religious and cultural aspirations of our heritage.”7
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1 Jonge,
Parengkuan, and Steenbrink, “How Christianity Obtained A Central
Position in Minahasa Culture and Society,” in History of
Christianity in Indonesia, 434.
2 KGPM
listed 50,017 members in 2000 (Jonge, Parengkuan, and Steenbrink,
“How Christianity Obtained A Central Position in Minahasa Culture
and Society,” 434).
3 Today
GMIM is the largest church denomination in Minahasa overseeing
schools, hospitals, a university, and engaging in ministries in and
outside of Minahasa, with membership numbers above 800,000 people
divided into more than 800 congregations.
4 A
number of Minahasan KNIL (The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army),
led by Ch. Taulu, executed a coup d'etat in Minahasa, known as
Peristiwa 14
Februari 1946 (The
February 14, 1946 Event). Although it
lasted less than a month, the attempt sent a clear message about the
aspiration of the majority of the Minahasan people to be
independent. For this topic see, for example, Ben Wowor, Sulawesi
Utara bergolak: peristiwa patriotik 14 Februari1946, dalam rangka
revolusi bangsa Indonesia
(Jakarta: Alda,
1977).
5 Perjuangan
Rakyat Semesta or
Permesta
(All People Struggle) became a dark page in the history of Minahasa
post-independence. Seeking regional autonomy, a number of East
Indonesia military and civil elites, among which a good number were
from Minahasa, declared Permesta.
This demand was accompanied with military assaults against targets
associated with the “central government.” As a result, full
blown military action was taken against Permesta,
which then developed into a civil war, especially among Minahasans
themselves, the so-called pro-Permesta
and pro-central government people, both in the military and
civilians. In the midst of this great calamity, the GMIM under the
leadership of Rev. A. Z. R. Wenas did not take sides and worked for
peaceful resolution between the two sides, while providing spiritual
guidance for all (Bodewyn G. Talumewo, “GMIM Masa Pergolakan
Permesta,” Inspirator
Maret-Mei
2007; for Rev. Wenas' life and work see also Redaksi Bulletin Dewan
Gereja-gereja Sulutteng, Ds.
A. Z. R.
Wenas (1897-1967): pelayan gereja di Minahasa [Tomohon:
Redaksi Bulletin D.G.W. Sulutteng, 1969]).
6 The
four pillars of the Republic of Indonesia are Pancasila (the Five
Principles), the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia 1945, the
Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and the motto Bhineka
Tunggal Ika (Unity in diversity).
7 Bediako,
Jesus and the Gospel in Africa, 21.
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