W

ith growing Islamic conservatism in the country, spiritualism has become a popular leisure activity — or at least that’s what a local administration has in mind.

A Bandung city administration official recently proposed that state-owned bus operator Damri equip every bus that travels in the city with a cleric who would give sermons on religious topics.

“The cleric will talk about [good deeds], everyday issues. It is better than remaining idle or playing with cell phones [during the journey],” said the head of the Bandung administration’s public welfare division’s religious subdivision, Latif, in a statement.

He said that the idea would be among the administration’s religious programs that have run since April.

Local administrations in the country have become more involved in passing many regulations that adhere to Islamic values and regulate morality, but pay less attention to the interests of the public in general.

During the Islamic fasting month that fell in June, food stall sellers were raided during daytime in several regions in West Java as they were seen as not respecting Muslims who were fasting.

Resident and bus user Lina Nursanty, 35, expressed disapproval of the planned sermons.

“We are tired of buskers and now sermons on the bus. The bus is a public facility that should be universally applicable for all its users,” said Lina.

She added that if the administration was adamant about turning Bandung into a religious city, she suggested the religious activities on the bus should not just be Islamic sermons, but also lectures by leaders of the all the religions and faiths that exist in Indonesia.

Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil was reluctant to comment about the plan to have religious sermons on the bus.

“I cannot comment now and it is not the municipality’s program,” Ridwan said after attending the 2016 Asian-African Carnival on Jl. Asia Afrika in Bandung on Sunday.

Emil, as Ridwan is better known, had refused to comment about the plan after it was announced over the weekend.

Latif issued the announcement of the plan to the public, saying that the sermons would be given by the preachers during the bus’ departure.

When asked for the third time on whether the program was a certainty, Emil still declined to comment because he said he really did not know about the activity.

“It was announced without my permission, so it remains uncertain and not official yet, but [it was deliberately] announced. I’m also confused,” said Emil.