Inter-religious group calls on all Depok mayor candidates to uphold pluralism

A group of six religious-based organizations in Depok, West Java, has called on all would-be candidates for the upcoming Depok mayoral election to uphold pluralism and not fall into developing the city for the sake of a certain group or religion.   
 
“Depok is made up of residents who have diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. We would like to see a leader of the city able to accommodate such diversity,” the group’s spokesman Mangaranap Sinaga told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
 
The group includes the Depok branch of the Nahdlatul Ulama’s Ansor Youth Movement, the Indonesian Christian Youth Force Movement, the Catholic Youth, the Buddhist Youth Generation and the Persada Hindu Dharma.
 
On Sunday, the six organizations officially launched a joint discussion group called the Inter-religious Youth Forum (Formula) which aimed at discussing pluralism issues in the city.
 
Situated on Jakarta 's southern border, the 200-square-kilometer municipality is currently led by Depok Mayor Nurmahmudi Ismail, who was nominated by the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and elected in 2005.