In The Aftermath Of Closing The Statue Of The Mother Mary, Kulon Progo Police Chief Urges The Public Not To Be Provoked

Kulon Progo Police Chief AKBP Muharomah Fajarini gave information regarding the closing of the Maria Mother Statue in Degolan, Bumirejo. (ANTARA)

KULON PROGO - Kulon Progo Police Chief, Yogyakarta Special Region, AKBP Muharomah Fajarini appealed to the public not to be provoked by the circulation of a video closing the statue of Bunda Maria in Degolan, Kalurahan/Earthrejo Village which went viral on social media. "Let's maintain tolerance and religious moderation, especially in Kulon Progo which is good enough not to be provoked by viral news or videos on social media," said AKBP Muharomah Fajarini in Kulon Progo, Antara, Friday, March 24. He was in charge of the security and social security in Kulon Progo, including the Sasana Prayer House area Adhi Rasa Santo Yakobus in Degolan Bumirejo, that the prayer house was completed around December 2022. Furthermore, the family is still managing socialization with the community, village government, Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB), that this prayer house has not been inaugurated. Therefore, the owner who lives in Jakarta temporarily closed the statue of the Virgin Mary in the prayer house with tarpaulins, in this case the younger brother of the owner of the prayer house. "In principle, the construction of prayer houses requires socialization to the community, from families, village leaders and of course from FKUB. Therefore, while waiting for the plan one month or after Eid, it will be communicated again how it is discussed internally and socialized to the public," said Fajarini. The police chief also apologized to the public for the mistakes of his members in writing narratives. "We have received an order from the Kapolda that there is no mass organization that disturbs security and peace. If there are mass organizations that interfere with security, comfort and peace, especially in the Kulon Progo area, we will act," he said. Meanwhile, the younger brother of the owner of the prayer house, Yakobus Sugiharto, Sutarno, said that on Wednesday at around 09.00 WIB closing the statue of Bunda Maria was an initiative of the owner of the prayer house, Sugiharto, because the construction was still in the process of completing the administration. "To wait for the administrative completion, while we closed the statue with no coercion from anywhere, but at the initiative of the owner of the prayer house," he said. Meanwhile, Head of the Kulon Progo Religious Ministry Office, Wahib Jamil, said that after receiving information on the establishment of a prayer house, his party asked Catholic administrators to be able to provide education so that everything can be communicated with residents, and carried out in accordance with applicable regulations. "So that harmony and togetherness are realized in Kulon Progo," he said.