JAKARTA, INDONESIA, February 14, 2020 (tanda-baco.co.id): | The Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan today attended the laying of the first stone for the house of worship for Hindus, especially ethnic Tamils, on Jalan Bedugul, Kalideres, West Jakarta on land donated by the government. The event was also attended by the Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, Pradeep Kumar Rawat, and various parties from the ranks of the DKI Provincial Government, DPR RI, DKI DPRD, Gema Sadhana, and interfaith leaders. The event began with remarks from the General Chairperson of the DPP Gema Sadhama, AS Kobalen, who explained the long process of establishing the first Tamil ethnic Hindu house of worship in Jakarta. “Our wait has been very long, we have been fighting for almost 60 years. Today, it (the house of worship) is realized,” he said with teary eyes.
Anies then gave his highest appreciation to the Hindu Tamil community in Jakarta. “Earlier, Mr. Kobalen spoke about the process of waiting for the Hindu community of Tamil descent to have a house of worship. And today, the wait got its answer. The next phase is to build,” said Anies. According to Anies, the presence of a house of worship for Hindus of Tamil ethnicity is based on the commitment of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to provide social justice and equality for all its citizens.
“We in DKI have a simple principle, namely that this republic stands for social justice for all Indonesian people. So, taking any decision, we have a responsibility to bring about social justice in the form of equalizing opportunities, one of which is the construction of houses of worship and the celebration of religious holidays in Jakarta,” he explained.
Anies hopes that the development process will run smoothly in the future. Thus, the Tamil Hindu community can immediately take advantage of the various facilities in the house of worship. “We hope everything goes smoothly and everything is fast. We hope that it will be completed later, we pray that it goes well and that we can all be present at the inauguration of this building. We all expect it to be on schedule, on quality, and on budget,” he said.
https://tanda-baca.co.id/gubernur-dki-jakarta-pimpin-peletakan-batu-pertama-rumah-ibadah-hindu-tamil/