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Anies vows to clear Jakarta of acts of intolerance
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Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Anies Baswedan speaks during his media visit to The Jakarta Post on Monday. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
J
akarta gubernatorial candidate Anies Baswedan said if elected, he promised to protect pluralism and diversity in the city by enforcing the law against intolerant groups.
“When there’s an act of intolerance, I won’t let it go unpunished [...] I will ensure to push every single law enforcement agency to enforce the law,” Anies said during media visit to The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Anies, who was criticized on social media for visiting the headquarters of the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI) in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, last week, said violations against pluralism often happened because of weak law enforcement.
It is not seldom that the authorities let violent acts occur spurred by intolerance go unpunished, Anies said.
Should he be elected, Anies said he would ensure residents practiced their religions and beliefs in accordance with the Pancasila principle that stated, “Believe in the One Supreme God”.
(Read also: Anies says he visited FPI to quash rumors about his religious identity)
Anies also said Jakarta, as the most heterogenic city in the country, needed to celebrate its diversity, suggesting that his administration would hold cultural festivals in the city if he was elected.
“As an example, we can hold ‘Batak Week’ or ‘Ambon Week’. It will be great if we can hold such festivals for a year. It will be good for business, culture and diversity celebrations,” he said. (jun)
