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December 12, 2024 | 08:49 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto made a joke while delivering a speech at the inauguration of the Silaturahmi Tunnel between the Istiqlal Mosque and the Jakarta Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption) in the courtyard of the Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta on Thursday, December 12. He said the tunnel, which began its construction in 2020, should have been inaugurated by former President Jokowi instead of him.
"Mr. Jokowi should be the one to inaugurate this tunnel. Many people worked on it, and I just got the easy part. Well, it is what it is," he said.
Prabowo joked that Jokowi could have been watching the inauguration of the tunnel at that moment, and apologized to his predecessor. "Maybe Mr. Jokowi is watching. Mr. Jokowi, I'm sorry that I'm the one inaugurating it," Prabowo said.
The head of state was pleased with the inauguration of the tunnel, saying the event served as a symbol of harmony among religious communities. As a nation, Indonesia has unique and proud characteristics where the people are composed of different ethnic groups, religions, tribes, ethnic groups, races, regional languages and customs. Each of these differences, he noted, is what binds the nation together.
"This is because we have the same ideals, namely to achieve a future that can bring happiness to all people," Prabowo said.
The Gerindra Party leader said that these differences must be a source of strength and not a source of division. "We must learn from the leadership of national figures. Learn how to tolerate each other, unite and live in harmony," Prabowo said.
Building the Silaturahmi Tunnel took less than a year from December 2020 to September 2021 and cost Rp38.9 billion. The tunnel has an area of 218 square meters, including a shelter area of 128 square meters, a tunnel length of 34 meters, and a depth of 6 meters.
The leader of the world Catholic Church and head of state of the Vatican, Pope Francis, had once entered the Silaturahmi tunnel during his visit to Jakarta in September this year. Pope Francis said that the Silaturahmi Tunnel, which connects the Istiqlal Mosque and the Jakarta Cathedral, is a symbol of the true brotherhood of the Indonesian nation.
The Pope said the tunnel allows for meetings, dialogue and the sharing of spiritual experiences to live together. "It offers an experience of fraternity in a procession of solidarity, a holy pilgrimage," Francis said in his remarks during his visit to the Istiqlal Mosque on Thursday, September 5, 2024.
Francis encouraged the Indonesian nation to continue on this path so that people could cultivate their spirituality and practice their religion. They can also seek God and contribute to the development of a society based on an attitude of mutual respect and love.
Editor's Choice: Pope Francis Praises Istiqlal-Cathedral Tunnel as Brotherhood Symbol
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