NU, Muhammadiyah participate in securing Christmas celebrations

Semarang, NU Online
The country’s two largest Islamic organizations, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), are ready to deploy volunteers to work alongside police personnel to provide security ahead of and during Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations in Semarang, Central Java.<>

The Semarang-chapter Muhammadiyah central executive board said it would deploy 30 members of its security taskforce -- the Muhammadiyah Youth Readiness Command (Korkam)-- to help police secure Christmas and New Year’s Eve festivities in areas across the city.

The head of Semarang-chapter Pemuda Muhammadiyah, the youth wing of the country’s second biggest Muslim organization, AM Jumai, said the Korkam personnel would be on guard at security posts they had established in 15 locations across the city.

“We have coordinated with related parties such as the National Police, government officials and religious leaders,” Jumai said in Semarang on Monday.

The security posts have been established at several strategic points, including the Tugu Muda area, Jl. Admodirono, Jl.MT Haryono and Jl.Gajahmada.

Jumai said his organization was also cooperating with Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser), the NU security task force, which routinely deployed its members to participate in the securing of Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Separately, Central Java Police spokesperson Sr.Comr.Liliek Darmanto said the National Police, with support from the Indonesian Military, would hold a security operation codenamed Operasi Lilin 2014 (Operation Candle) to provide security during Christmas and New Year’s Eve festivities.

“The operation is expected to take place for 10 days between Dec.24 and Jan.2. We have carried out preparations, including holding a coordination meeting with parties involved in the operation,” said Liliek as quoted by The Jakarta Post.

Thousands of key places such as churches, ports, airports, train stations, banking centers, malls and tourist destinations across the city will be safeguarded.

According to the Central Java Police’s Operation Bureau, Central Java has 2,814 churches, comprising 2,337 Protestant churches and 477 Catholic churches, 194 tourist destinations, 232 shopping malls, one seaport, 69 train stations and three airports.

The police said Operation Candle was aimed at ensuring a safe and peaceful situation ahead over the Christmas and New Year period, while at the same time anticipating crime threats that had continued to expand.

From January to October this year, crime was on the increase, especially vehicle theft, robbery and arson.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq