Bekasi Mayor Will Not Revoke Santa Clara Church Building Permit
3 April 2017 11:30 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi said he will not revoke Santa Clara Church building permit (IMB) in North Bekasi because the permit was issued by the government.
“It can only be revoked based on a court’s decision that has attained permanent legal force,” te mayor said in his office on Thursday, March 30, 2017.
On Friday, March 24, people from the Majelis Silaturahmi Umat Islam Bekasi protested against the construction of Santa Clara Church on Jalan Lingkar Luar, Bekasi.
Protest spokesman Imran Nasution said that they were against the construction due to irregularities in the issuance of its permit. “Such as forged locals’ signatures of consent,” Imran said on March 24.
The demonstration turned violent, forcing police to fire tear gas to disperse the protesters. Rahmat Effendi said that he will not budge on his decision despite pressure from protesters. “I will not get intimidated because the permit has been issued, even if someone shot me, I will not revoke [the permit],” he said.
Rahmat has defended the decision to issue Catholic church building permit because the construction has received the backing of 64 locals, as well as secured recommendations of the Religious Affairs Office and the Bekasi Inter-religious Harmony Forum (FKUB). The mayor has quashed the rumor that Santa Clara was the largest church in Southeast Asia.
He said that the church was built on 6,500 square meters of land with a total floor area of 1,500 square meters. “It can’t be the biggest,” he said. The man popularly known as Pepen said that similar rumor was also floated around about the size of Kalimiring Church.
Read the full interview with Rahmat Effendi on Tempo Magazine.
ADI WARSONO|RAYMUNDUS RIKANG|REZA