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Only civil servants must comply with Iftar ban: Minister
"All ministers, heads of agencies down to local government leaders have to comply with this new rule. Yet for the general public, there's no prohibition on doing that," Azwar was quoted by Antara as saying.
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Hundreds of civil servants with the West Java administration line up to shake hands with and greet acting governor Comr. Gen. Mochamad Iriawan on the first day of work after the 10-day Idul Fitri holiday at the Gedung Sate gubernatorial office in Bandung, West Java, in 2018. (JP/Arya Dipa)
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dministrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Abdullah Azwar Anas said that the regulation to bar government employees from holding iftar gathering was mandatory for civil servants and that he would enforce the ban with no exception.
"All ministers, heads of agencies down to local government leaders have to comply with this new rule. Yet for the general public, there's no prohibition on doing that," Azwar was quoted by Antara as saying.
Azwar said that the ban had in fact been implemented last year, when the country was still more vigilant about the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This was implemented last year. The point is we need to continue being very careful because we're still transitioning from COVID-19 toward an endemic status," he said.
On Tuesday, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo issued a circular banning government employees from holding breaking-the-fast iftar gatherings as a precautionary measure to guard against the spike in COVID-19 cases.
A number of Muslim leaders have urged President Jokowi to reconsider the ban, saying that it could backfire on the government.
Islamist Star and Crescent Party (PBB) chair Yusril Ihza Mahendra Yusril said in a statement on Thursday that the new policy could engender resentment of President Jokowi, especially among devout Muslims.
