Hindus want 'Siwaratri' a holiday

JAKARTA: Following the success of Indonesia's Confucian community in having the Lunar New Year declared a national holiday, the Hindu community is asking the government to make its Siwaratri, or Day of Atonement, a public holiday as well.

The director general of Hinduism and Buddhism at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Wayan Suarjaya, said here on Friday the Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia association had proposed to the ministry that Siwaratri be declared a national holiday.

According to Wayan, the ministry was still studying the proposal and would later submit it to the office of President Megawati Soekarnoputri, because the establishment of a national holiday requires a presidential decree.

In Bali, where the majority of the country's Hindu population lives, civil servants and students are currently given the day off on Siwaratri if they wish to perform their religious duties.

Last month, President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared the Lunar New Year, or Imlek, a national holiday beginning next year. -- Antara