The news from Indonesia this month has been dispiriting – natural disaster flooding in Bali and Flores, man-made maladministration, political chicanery, perpetual graft and rioting in the cities. The headlines imply the country is crumpling. It’s not, and here’s why.

Indonesia’s cup runneth over – with religion. Citizens have their faith — one of six approved by Parliament — stamped on their ID cards. Western democrats would find this offensive – the state checking how you pray.

Religion is the essence that unites and divides. It’s splashed across the spectrum of beliefs from major world faiths through to creeds conceived centuries before Jesus and Muhammad.

Last week in Jakarta, there was a display of the best that religions can offer – crossing into the secular affairs distressing the world’s fourth-largest nation, with 285 million souls.

Gerakan Nurani Bangsa (National Conscience Movement – GNB) is a collection of civil and religious leaders concerned about the way their country is heading. They’re seeking to stir the politicians who think defining and controlling the here and now is their exclusive job, and outsiders should worry about the next world.

GNB spokesman Ignatius Cardinal Suharyo urged the government to “listen to the thoughts, ideas, and proposals – especially from academics who have no other interest except love for the homeland. Let them be heard, considered, and seriously reflected upon together”.

Warm words cool easily in the heat of reality. But GNB is too solid to be easily extinguished so President Prabowo Subianto — a leader more likely to open a holster than a holy book — was forced to hear the demands and apparently take them seriously.

Apart from releasing prisoners, foremost has been the reform of the police, who reportedly take bribes and sides during protests or react with excessive force; this was allegedly the situation when tens of thousands of mainly young men rioted in Jakarta and elsewhere, burning cars and vandalising parliamentary buildings and politicians’ homes.

Some were thugs driven to have a smashing good time; others had an agenda of reform, but thought violence was the only way to get heard.

Ten reportedly died, and 3000 were injured. Human rights NGO KontraS reckons 20 more are missing.

The week-long riots were the worst seen in the Republic this century. Men with guns rarely explore better ways of handling dissent. Prabowo has already ordered the military and police to take “firm action”, aka live rounds.

The original igniters of the strife at the end of August were the tone-deaf national politicians voting themselves massive perks and ostentatiously displaying their triumphs. They didn’t care that the image of their joy sat awkwardly alongside Statistics Bureau claims that more than 24 million live below the monthly poverty line of A$54.

The people’s reps get A$10,000 every 30 days, plus housing subsidies.

The average wage depends on the province and varies from A$300 to A$600 a month, but that doesn’t mean workers get paid the official rates, as controls are lax.

Jobs are getting tougher to find as the government shrinks budgets to finance election promises, adding more factors to the violence. The official unemployment rate is under 5%, but the data is unreliable as there are few dependable social security stats.

In Melbourne, the de facto HQ of overseas peaceful protests, demonstrators reportedly chanted:

“We want democracy, we want a stable economy, we want Indonesia to progress. We all deserve to have our voices heard.”

The absence of a fearless legislative opposition, with nine of the ten parties in coalition with Prabowo, means lawmakers generally do what they like and have little regard for the people they’re supposed to represent.

Into this gap strode the 16-member GNB representing all approved religions and NGO leaders. Prominent among those politely confronting Prabowo was Sinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman Wahid, widow of the fourth president Gus Dur (1999-2001).

Her psychologist daughter, Alissa, 52, a noted campaigner for democracy and multiculturalism, was present as leader of the Gusdurian Network.

It claims to “work with grassroots-level activists across Indonesia to promote inter religious reconciliation, active citizenship, democracy, and human rights”.

Partially blind Baghdad-educated Gus Dur led Nahdlatul Ulama (Revival of the Scholars), the largest Muslim organisation in the world, with a claimed 40 million members.

He was a caring progressive, allowing Confucianism to be recognised and Mandarin use lawful, but a lousy organiser whose many missteps led to threats of impeachment and his departure. He was also a ridiculously funny man who usually opened meetings with a joke.

He was dubbed “Father of Pluralism”; Sinta Nuriyah and the couples’ daughters are upholding his values.

In 2018, Time magazine listed the former First Lady among the world’s 100 most influential people for her “progressiveness, support for democracy and work in protecting the rights of minority groups".

She likened Indonesia’s religious diversity to a garden of flowers: “There are roses, jasmines, orchids and Sita-Ashok. All these flowers are beautiful. No one can force the roses to become jasmines or the orchids to become Sita-Ashok (a holy tree in Hinduism and Buddhism).”

The Gusdurians are pushing to preserve some of their hero’s changes, like separating the police from the army, an action that has long infuriated the military, who want total control returned.

Soldiers paid to defend against overseas threats helped put down this month’s domestic issue protests. The GNB wants the police to be reformed, and Prabowo has agreed, though no details have been provided, so that may mean more army control.

The paramilitary police unit Brimob (mobile brigade) was allegedly involved in running down 21-year-old courier Affan Kurniawan and inflaming protesters. The driver of the armed tactical vehicle has reportedly been demoted, but not charged.

Adding theological thump to the GNB delegation was Jesuit Franz Magnis-Suseno, 89, professor emeritus at Jakarta’s Driyarkara School of Philosophy.

He’s one of Indonesia’s foremost public intellectuals and a quiet adviser to previous presidents. Born in Germany, he’s been an Indonesian citizen since 1977.

As this website has reported, Prabowo, a cashiered former military general, has taken a strongman position since being elected the Republic’s eighth president last year, and has set about militarising the public service. The unmarried divorcee is clearly more at ease with men in uniform than independent women, scholars and outspoken clerics from civil society.

If the GNB can keep its mission alive in the public conscience and the door to the palace stays open, the presently disorganised and largely leaderless protests may develop into a moral movement.

As in Australia, the better educated and articulate tend to be the bellwethers. Like most of us they want stability, security, a better future for their kids, freedom from government agencies and religious extremists, and pride in their nation.

They also want roads to those universal goals free of firebombed police cars and corrupt cops.

The fact that Prabowo listened to the GNB for almost three hours is a small but positive sign that Indonesia may recover its reputation for tolerance and prove a beacon to the region – including Australia.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.