Summing up Java findings

The focus on religion is just as important in Java as in the rest of Indonesia. We had several lectures about the religious directions on the island. Java is mainly a Muslim dominated area but with a strong history and traditions of both Hinduism and Buddhism. At Gadjah Mada University they have their own Centre for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies, where we had several lectures, mostly about Islam.

We also had lectures about Buddhism at the Buddhist temple of Borobudur, and we had a lecture about Hinduism in Rumah Norwegia before visiting the Hindu temple of Prambanan.

Rumah Norwegia

Even though professors, teachers, and religious leaders gave us the impression that religion is one of the most important parts of the Javanese people’s identity, our observations and interviews with local people gave us another view. Most people claim that their belief and religious commitment will give them a better life, but in their everyday life and action, religion did not have an important impact. This gap between words and action became, after a few days of observations, quite familiar to us.

Politically there was no special interest or commitment. Most people voted for the political party the local leader told them to vote. There was generally a lack of confidence in the government and limited trust in the fact that voting and larger political awareness could make a difference. This lack of creditability could be because people are afraid of political prosecution. Even though Indonesia is supposed to have freedom of speech, the reality still seems different.

There are several government projects to speed up development in different parts of the community. But mostly the development in Java is in the urban areas. The gap between people’s incomes is large, and corruption seems to be a well-known problem. In the Giricahyo village, students from Gadjah Mada University were working on a project to supply water to the villages. Projects like this are really important for the rural areas.

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