Yendra Budiana explained how his party faced the mass media and news reports related to the violence experienced by the Ahmadiyah congregation in 2005.
Updated 01 Feb 2025
Liputan6.com, Manado – The North Sulawesi Coalition for the Advocacy of Freedom of Religion and Belief (KBB) held an internal meeting and discussion at the Ahmadiyah Congregation Mosque , Taas Village, Tikala District, Manado City, North Sulawesi.
This activity was attended by a number of elements and institutions that are members of the North Sulawesi KBB Advocacy Coalition such as Gusdurian Manado, the Manado Legal Aid Institute ( LBH ), Swara Parangpuan North Sulawesi, Ahmadiyah Manado, Lalang Rondong Malesung (Laroma), and the Alliance of Independent Journalists ( AJI ) Manado .
In the discussion which took the theme of Ahmadiyah and the Advancement of KKB: Challenges and Media Advocacy Strategies, presenting speakers namely Press Secretary and Chair of the National Ahmadiyah Media Center Yendra Budiana.
In his presentation, Yendra Budiana explained how his party faced the mass media and news reports related to the violence experienced by the Ahmadiyah congregation in 2005.
Media coverage that tends to only use sources from the government, police officers and perpetrators of violence, is detrimental to the Ahmadiyah congregation. This is made worse by the journalists’ lack of understanding of the Ahmadiyah congregation.
“We realized, at that time the mass media might not have access to confirm the incident to us, the Ahmadiyah Congregation who were the victims. So the news tended to come from the government and the authorities,” said Yendra Budiana.
Observing the condition, according to him, the existence of mass media is very important in covering and reporting an event in a balanced manner according to the facts that occur in the field. They then visited the editorial office of the mass media in Jakarta to understand journalistic work.
Internally, the party also trains members to be able to speak to the mass media, build a media center, including preparing press releases related to an event experienced by the Ahmadiyah Congregation.
“We prepare a press release when there is an event, or activity from the Ahmadiyah Congregation. This is so that the mass media gets information directly from the news source,” said Yendra Budiana who for 8 years has been the spokesperson for the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation.
He added that his party also trained members in the regions and encouraged the establishment of media centers, so that they could produce news related to the existence of the Ahmadiyah Congregation, as well as its roles in the social community sector.
Responding to the presentation, AJI Manado Secretary Isa Jusuf said, AJI remains consistent in overseeing diversity issues in the mass media. A number of obstacles faced include access to sources, for example to the Ahmadiyah Congregation, if an incident occurs.
“Because media reporting must be balanced,” he said.
Another thing is increasing the capacity of journalists to understand diversity issues, including knowledge related to the Ahmadiyya Congregation.
The discussion, moderated by Rohit from the Muhammadiyah Student Association (IMM) of North Sulawesi, became even more interesting when the participants seemed to be giving their responses. As conveyed by Rev. Ruth Wangkai from the North Sulawesi Women’s Movement, Gusdurian Manado Rahman Mantu, LBH Manado David, Swara Parangpuan Sulut Nurhasanah.
At the end of the activity, the Ahmadiyah Manado Congregation Missionary, Hafiz Ahmad Mutu, said that discussions and meetings between institutions and communities, including with the mass media, would further strengthen the joint movement, building freedom of religion and belief.
“Meetings and discussions like this will strengthen our coalition in building freedom of religion and belief,” he said as the organizer of the activity.
Categories: Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, Indonesia