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akarta Governor Anies Baswedan said on Sunday he had revoked a local regulation banning religious activities from being held at the National Monument (Monas) park, Central Jakarta.

While attending the celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday at At-Taqwa Mosque, South Jakarta, Anies told his supporters that he had revised the standard operational procedure (SOP) for Monas that had been issued by his predecessor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.

“Before, it was only used for state ceremonies, but now we will allow cultural, education and religious activities to be held there,” he said.

The new governor said the administration would hold a religious event at the park next Sunday, on Nov. 26, to commemorate National Heroes’ Day.

He said the city administration would organize a full-day event, with a cultural parade in the morning and a religious ceremony at night.

”The city administration will organize a nationalist sermon after the evening prayer, followed by zikr [religious chants] and tausyiah [sermon],” he said, adding that he invited all citizens to come.

In 2015, Ahok prohibited citizens from holding mass religious activities in the area.

He argued that at that time he had allowed prayer group Majelis Rasulullah to hold a religious event at Monas, but that members abused the permission and used it to make space for street vendors.

Ahok claimed he was not the one who made the rule, citing Presidential Decree No. 25/1995 on the development of the Medan Merdeka (Independence Square) area, including Monas, which orders that the area remain a “neutral zone” without commercial or political activities.

He used the regulation as a reference to issue the operational procedure for Monas in January 2015. The SOP only allows state ceremonies and activities related to history, art and culture at national and international levels to be held at the park.

Political expert from Paramadina University Hendri Satrio said Anies’ move showed his goodwill toward upholding religious freedom, but would also bring him added headaches with street vendors returning to the area.

He added that it could also show his bias toward certain religious groups.

“How will Anies respond if more than one religious community wants to hold an event there at the same time? It may cause the tensions from the gubernatorial election to rise again,” he said.

During the election campaign, Anies received support from conservative Muslim groups that accused Ahok of committing blasphemy.

Amnesty International Indonesia director Usman Hamid said Anies’ decision was hardly a sign of progress for religious freedom. He said if Monas was used as a site to mobilize his supporters, it would again reinforce minority versus majority sentiments.

“Monas is a public space. […] Anies must ensure that it is a place for all citizens, not just citizens from one religion,” he said.

Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch said following the recent Constitutional Court ruling that ordered the government to recognize native-faith followers, Anies also had to accommodate the approximately 200 religions and beliefs systems currently being practiced by people in Jakarta.

“Otherwise, it will again add to the impression that Jakarta is an Islamist city that discriminates against minorities,” he said.

The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) spokesperson Jeirry Sumampow said the regulation would have hardly any effect on the Christian community as churches had never used Monas for religious events.

“Whether it is allowed or not, it does not affect us,” he said. (dis)