B

ogor Mayor Bima Arya said there would be no Christmas service at Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin in Bogor because the dispute between the church and the Bogor administration was still unresolved.

'I confirm there will be no Christmas services in GKI Yasmin. This decision was made after a meeting with leaders and pastors of GKI Pengadilan [Yasmin's mother organization] on Friday,' Bima said on Tuesday.

Bima said the GKI Yasmin congregation was welcome to have the Christmas service at GKI Pengadilan.

'I sympathize with them and want to resolve this dispute,' he said.

Bima called on the public not to connect GKI Yasmin's dispute with freedom of religions in Indonesia, saying that Bogor was not an intolerant city.

'I prioritize dialogue in solving this dispute,' he went on.

A pastor of GKI Pengadilan, Rev. Esa Katri, refused to comment when asked about the Christmas arrangement.

'I can't give any comments right now, I am busy,' she said in a hurry.

GKI Yasmin's spokesperson Bona Sigalingging said the congregation would insist on holding a Christmas service at their church in the Taman Yasmin housing complex on the morning of Dec. 25.

'During the service, our interfaith friends from Wahid Institute, Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika National Alliance, will accompany us,' Bona said.

Bona regretted Bima's decision, which he said did not involve the GKI Yasmin congregation itself.

'He should have met with us not with GKI Pengadilan,' he said, adding that the mayor's action could be construed as an attempt to divide and, at the end of the day, disband the GKI Yasmin congregation.

Bogor Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr said the force had prepared themselves to secure Christmas celebrations throughout the city, including the one at GKI Yasmin.

Starting on Dec. 23, the police force had secured churches from possible threats.

This year will mark the congregation's fifth year in celebrating Christmas outside the church building since it was sealed by Bogor city administration in 2010.

Last year, they held a Christmas service under the rain in front of the State Palace, along with the congregation of beleaguered Filadelfia Batak Church in Bekasi.

In 2008, the Supreme Court rejected a request from the Bogor City Planning and Parks Agency to revoke the church's building permit (IMB) it issued on Feb. 14, 2008. This ruling was upheld by the Court two years later.

However, then Bogor mayor Diani Budiarto eventually revoked the church's IMB only several days after he promised to uphold the Supreme Court's ruling.

Despite campaign promises that Bogor Mayor Bima Arya will prioritize finding the resolution to the GKI Yasmin saga, Bona admitted there had been no signs of progress on the matter as of today.