Religious leaders delay planned visit to Ambon<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The religious leaders group delayed the planned visit to Ambon,
\nthe capital of Maluku, until next week as the government was
\ncompleting the rehabilitation fund program for the strife-torn
\nprovince, an official said.<\/p>\n
Secretary to the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare,
\nSoetedjo Yuwono, said on Monday that the government wished to
\nbring the rehabilitation program along with the peace effort to
\nthe province so as to enable the two measures to be implemented
\nsimultaneously.<\/p>\n
\"The reason for the delay is a technical issue because we
\nstill have to complete the inter-departmental budget allocation
\nto restore damaged facilities in the province. We have moved the
\nschedule forward to next week,\" Soetedjo told The Jakarta Post
\nand Koran Tempo daily.<\/p>\n
The official made the remarks in response to the planned visit
\nby leaders of major religious organizations in the country to
\nsupport the peace settlement after the Malino agreement between
\nthe warring groups in Ambon.<\/p>\n
Under the initiative of the central government,
\nrepresentatives of the two warring sides agreed to sign a peace
\nagreement in Malino, about 37 kilometers from the South Sulawesi
\ncapital of Makassar on Feb. 12.<\/p>\n
Those intending to join the planned trip are religious
\nleaders, including Indonesia's largest Muslim organization
\nNahdlatul Ulama chairman Hasyim Muzadi, second largest Muslim
\norganization Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Ma'arif and Julius
\nCardinal Darmaatmadja of Bishop Council of Indonesia as well as
\nother religious leaders.<\/p>\n
The leaders said recently that they wanted to share the part
\nof the government's initiatives to promote peace effort and to
\ntalk to their followers to end the three-year sectarian fight in
\nthe province.<\/p>\n
Soetedjo brushed aside speculation that the delay was caused
\nby the inability on the part of the government to provide
\nsecurity guarantee in the province.<\/p>\n
\"I have just returned from Ambon and the conditions are
\nimproving. The public transportation is operating again and some
\nof the traditional markets also have reopened so they really need
\nsupport in public facilities,\" Soetedjo said.<\/p>\n
The rehabilitation fund will be used to repair the damaged
\npublic facilities, but said that worship houses would not be put
\nas first priority because it would be conducted after all the
\nrefugees have returned.<\/p>\n
The 13 religious leaders will visit Maluku and Poso, Central
\nSulawesi, and spend two days in each of the strife-torn
\nprovinces.<\/p>\n
The religious leaders will hold meetings with the younger
\ngeneration of the province to once again remind them about the
\nimportance of peace among religions and to end fear from the
\npeople of other groups after the prolonged sectarian riots.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/religious-leaders-delay-planned-visit-to-ambon-1447893297",
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