By: Arsenio Bagas Pamungkas )*
Religious figures have a very important role in helping to prevent the spread of radicalism and acts of terrorism. With the presence of these religious figures, they will also be able to help make the 2024 New Year celebrations a much safer atmosphere.
A number of religious figures in Papua continue to appeal to the entire community to maintain peace, especially ahead of the upcoming New Year. All residents are asked to celebrate New Year’s Day with love. Not only that, but religious leaders in Bumi Cenderawasih appealed to all tribes and various religions to help prepare themselves to welcome the new year with joy.
Chairman of the Jayapura Regency Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB), Pastor Alberth Yoku, appealed to the entire community to build togetherness and respect so that peace in Indonesia, especially in Papua, can be maintained well.
The reason is, only if peace can be maintained well, it will also create a strong unity for society to move forward in 2024, especially when it will coincide with the implementation of simultaneous General Elections, starting from the Legislative Election (Pileg), the Presidential Election. (Pilpres) and also the Regional Head Election (Pilkada).
Likewise, the representative of the Jayapura Diocese, Pastor John Jonga, stated that the New Year should be in a safe and peaceful atmosphere. So that peace does not only exist at the level of discussions or sentences, but actually creates peace in the hearts of families and communities.
In fact, according to him, all components of society must also take part in correcting pastoral officers or other religious leaders, that they should all be active in bringing peace. Not only able to talk, but also prove it with real actions.
Not only in Papua, but similar efforts are also being made in Sekadau Regency, West Kalimantan Province (Kalbar). In order to create conducive security and public order (kamtibmas), Police Inspector Two (Ipda) Suharno made a visit as an effort to further strengthen the synergy between security forces and religious leaders in conveying important messages regarding how important it is to create safe Kamtibmas during the New Year celebrations. New.
According to him, security itself is a very vital factor for the community in celebrating New Year’s Eve. Therefore, he really hopes that synergy can be realized with religious leaders and various elements of society and can provide protection and a sense of security.
On the same occasion, Pastor Mustakin also stated that in facing the New Year’s Eve celebration, good cooperation between the security forces and also religious leaders and other elements of society is very important in creating a conducive security and social order.
Meanwhile, the Central Java (Central Java) Regional Police, Bhayangkara, Supervisor of Public Security and Order (Bhabinkamtibmas), Adjunct Police Inspector Two (Aipda) Sugiharto held a meeting at the Bait Al-Falah Mosque with the mosque congregation. On this occasion, he invited all parties to support the various tasks of the security forces related to eradicating radicalism and terrorism.
Furthermore, the security forces also leave a message to the public, when for example they find an activity that is quite suspicious (covered), especially regarding religious activities that are considered not in line with religious norms or rules, so that they can inform the authorities as quickly as possible.
Later, with the reporting made by the public, the security forces will immediately take immediate precautions before the activity in question becomes increasingly disturbing to the local public or before various undesirable things happen.
On the other hand, Chairman of the Malang Regency Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Kyai Haji (KH) Misno Fadhol Hija continues to remind the security forces and all elements of the nation to continue to increase their respective vigilance regarding the threat of the resurgence of terrorist cells in the country.
He asked the Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Kapolri) General Listyo Sigit Prabowo to take firm action if there were threats that could disrupt security and order in society.
The cleric also fully supports the appeal from the security forces to the public to always be alert to the birth of terrorist seeds in the country because it will seriously disrupt the upcoming New Year celebrations, which should be celebrated with joy.
Preventing the chain of spread of radicalism and acts of terrorism is one of the very important roles played by religious leaders. This is because they are also the front guard who will be in direct contact with the community. Apart from that, by preventing radicalism and terrorism, it will be possible to make the 2024 New Year celebrations much safer.
)* The author is a Persada Institute Contributor