Council Member Demands Governor Pramono Fulfil Promises on Permits for HKBP Ciganjur to GKI Jalan Durian

Jakarta DPRD member August Hamonangan has demanded that Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung fulfil his commitments regarding the facilitation of permits for places of worship. He assessed that practices in the field are still far from the government’s promises that the construction of places of worship will not be hindered if requirements have been met. “Mas Pram once said that places of worship that have met the requirements should no longer be held back in their construction. But in reality, it still happens. So how serious are they,” said August on Thursday (9/4). The PSI politician highlighted the ongoing obstacles faced by several congregations, especially minority groups, in obtaining permits to establish places of worship in Jakarta. Nevertheless, according to him, freedom of religion is a constitutional right that should be guaranteed by the state. He cited the example of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP) congregation in Ciganjur, South Jakarta, which has yet to obtain a permit after waiting for years. This situation forces the congregation to conduct worship in a limited manner at residents’ homes. “This is very concerning because it occurs in Jakarta as the capital that should serve as an example of tolerant living,” he stated. Not only HKBP Ciganjur, August also raised similar issues faced by the Gereja Kristen Indonesia (GKI) congregation on Jalan Durian and the Gereja Batak Karo Protestan (GBKP) in Tanjung Barat. He requested that the DKI Provincial Government immediately intervene to accelerate the permitting process so that the faithful can worship properly. “Please give immediate attention and facilitate the permitting process so that the congregations can worship peacefully,” he emphasised.