W

ith less than two weeks before Christmas, religious leaders and residents of regions whose local elections were postponed have called on the election organizer to postpone voting to next year to ensure that Christmas celebrations are carried out in a conducive environment.

In North Sumatra, the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) leader for the neighboring Pematangsiantar municipality and Simalungun regency, Restu Hutahaean, objected to the General Elections Commission'€™s (KPU) insistence on holding elections in the two regions this month.

'€œFrom Dec. 1 to 31, the Christian community is busy with Christmas activities at schools, villages and churches. I feel it isn'€™t right to hold the election during this time,'€ Restu told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Restu said the HKBP had suggested rescheduling voting in the two regions to anytime next year.

'€œIf the KPU insists on holding elections this month, it shows the KPU'€™s intolerance toward the Christian community,'€ he said, adding that voter turnout would be low as many Christians would be busy with Christmas-related activities.

In an effort to promote efficiency, the government scheduled simultaneous local elections on Dec. 9 in 269 provinces, regencies and municipalities, which is half of the total number in the country.

The KPU, however, decided at the last minute to postpone elections in five regions: Central Kalimantan province, Fakfak regency in West Papua, Manado, North Sulawesi, Pematangsiantar and Simalungun, following verdicts by State Administrative High Court (PTTUN).

In verdicts for Central Kalimantan and Fakfak, candidates whose nominations had been annulled by Provincial General Elections Commissions (KPUD) were permitted to reenter the race. Meanwhile, verdicts for the other three regions are pending and the local KPUDs have been instructed to freeze their decisions to annul the nominations of some of the candidates.

At least 20 percent of the population in each of the five regions are Christian.

In Manado, leader of the Kaum Bapa Masehi Injili Church in Minahasa, Penatua Stefanus Liow, said there would be no problem whenever voting was carried out. Stefanus, however, reminded that the elections must not disrupt harmony and peace during Christmas.

'€œI hope people can celebrate Christmas with joy and abstain from slander during the election, so that this Christmas has great significance,'€ he said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile in Fakfak, the local KPUD said on Tuesday that it had yet to reschedule voting as it had just filed an appeal against a PTTUN verdict with the Supreme Court.

'€œWe need to wait until the court issues a final verdict,'€ Fakfak KPUD acting head Christin Ruth Rumbaku said.

In South Sulawesi, the situation in Gowa remained tense several days after the regency'€™s election. Early on Tuesday, several unidentified people tossed gasoline bombs at the Pallangga district office. Fortunately, they did not hit the office building, but only the compound.

Earlier on Dec. 10, unidentified persons also tossed Molotov cocktails at the Paccinongang village administrative office in Somba Opu district. They only hit the front wall of the office during the election.

South Sulawesi Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. Frans Barung Mangera said on Tuesday that suspects in the two incidents had been identified.

'€œThe police chief has instructed that the case be resolved immediately. We have obtained their identities and we'€™ll immediately arrest them,'€ he said.

'€” Nethy Dharma Somba in Jayapura and Andi Hajramurni in Makassar contributed to the article