Religious leaders criticize holiday shifts<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto
\nand Sri Wahyuni
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) and Indonesian Bishops'
\nConference (KWI) on Wednesday criticized the government's
\ndecision to move a number of religious holidays to other dates in
\norder to give longer weekends.<\/p>\n
Brother Heri Sumarjo, head of the education section of the
\nKWI, stressed that the dates of religious holidays in the Roman
\nCatholic Church could not be shifted for any reason as they were
\nbased on religious dogma and doctrine.<\/p>\n
\"The KWI's stance is clear: we cannot accept the shifting of
\nreligious holidays because the religious teachings and values of
\nthe church cannot not be boiled down into worldly
\nconsiderations,\" Heri told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
He said the KWI had sent at least two official letters to
\ncomplain about the shifting of the Ascension Thursday holiday
\nfrom Thursday, May 29, to Friday, May 30. \"With the government's
\nrecent decision, we may have to have two holidays to celebrate
\nthis religious event,\" he added.<\/p>\n
A recent statement made by the Office of the State Minister
\nfor Administrative Reform said that holidays falling in the
\nmiddle of the week would either be moved to Monday or Friday so
\nas to give three-day weekends.<\/p>\n
With the longer holidays, the government hopes to encourage
\npeople to go on vacation and thus help the beleaguered tourist
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
Separately, MUI chairman Amidhan said there were two different
\npoints that needed to be considered in connection with religious
\nholidays.<\/p>\n
First, there was the fact that a religious holiday marked a
\nparticular religious event and, second, there was a holiday in
\nthe sense that people were excused from work.<\/p>\n
\"If we refer to the first sense of the word holiday, it cannot
\nbe shifted to another day, but if it is related to time off,
\ncertain holidays can be shifted,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
Amidhan criticized the government's new policy, which he said
\nwas only based on economic considerations rather than religious
\nfactors.<\/p>\n
\"It seems like the government is not serious as such an
\nimportant policy has been made without being fully thought out. I
\ndon't think the policy will be effective,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Despite the government's decision on shifting the dates of
\nholidays, the royal family in Yogyakarta would stick consistently
\nto the calendar for the celebration of the Islamic New year next
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
\"The palace calendar says it falls on March 4. And that is in
\nfact exactly when Suro 1 (new year according to the Javanese
\nCalendar) falls. So, we will stick with it. There has so far been
\nno instruction from Ngarso Dalem (the sultan) to shift the date
\nto March 3 from March 4,\" Roepotolo, head of the palace's
\nsecurity unit, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Roepotolo also said that the palace had planned no special
\ncelebrations or events to celebrate the Javanese\/Islamic new
\nyear. However, he said the people of Yogyakarta usually staged
\nthe laku bisu ceremony, in which they walked around the palace in
\nthe middle of the night in silence.<\/p>",
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