JAKARTA– Senior activist of Universitas Indonesia (UI) Watch, Hasril Hasan, is confident that if Anies Baswedan serves a second term as Governor of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (DKJ), the interfaith communities will coexist harmoniously and compactly, fostering genuine and dynamic peace.

He expressed this view on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. "We dare to say this because we observe Anies' track record in promoting interfaith harmony in Jakarta," stated the senior alumnus of the Faculty of Economics, Management Department at UI.

He noted on social media that support for Anies from the Chinese-Indonesian and non-Muslim communities is very high. Testimonies from their leaders indicate that Anies seriously addresses issues of religious harmony. All communities receive guidance and supervision from the provincial government under Anies' leadership.

During Anies' tenure, the process for religious building permits was facilitated. There was an incident in a sub-district in West Jakarta, where a church permit had been pending for many years. Under Anies, this issue was resolved. He personally visited the site to appease the protesting Muslim residents. Eventually, the residents understood and allowed the church to operate.

For the Sikh community, Anies granted permission for the construction of the first Sikh temple in Indonesia. He also approved permits for the Chinese community's temples.

Reclamation Tool

To the Hindu community, Anies also showed his sympathy. He renewed the reclamation tool at the Cakung reclamation beach. This action was praised by Hindu religious leaders in Jakarta.

Similarly, to the Christian community, it was during Anies' term that Christians could for the first time enjoy Christmas Carol performances on the major roads of Sudirman and Thamrin in Jakarta.

Especially for Islam, the majority religion, Anies provided the best service. Therefore, even though he catered to non-Muslims, the Muslim community also expressed high satisfaction with the former Minister of Education.

The culmination of all this, he added, was Anies' BOTI (Operational Assistance for Places of Worship) policy, where all places of worship, regardless of religion, received support from the provincial government. This aid was intended for the maintenance of worship places and the religious leaders serving them.

"Therefore, I am optimistic that if Anies is re-elected as Governor, he will implement policies that encompass all religious communities," concluded Hasril Hasan.