Bali Governor Calls On Religious Leaders To Maintain Security

Jakarta, Aug 22 (Antara) - Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has called on religious leaders and the Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkompimda) to jointly maintain the security of Bali in the midst of growing negative issues in the community. "I hope all parties will be alert and act appropriately against the issues that are currently developing and not wait until the incident has occurred. If Bali is safe, it will impact and have an influence on other areas," Made Mangku Pastika stated here on Friday. He argued that several issues should be of concern after the Constitutional Court`s (MK`s) verdict on the presidential election result dispute and the emergence of Islamic State of Iraq Syria (ISIS). He was hopeful that religious leaders will reassure citizens to accept the MK`s verdict, so that negativity can be avoided. "Similarly, the ISIS ideology, which is not a frontal attack, can mislead people into treading the wrong path in life, so I ask the cooperation of all parties in raising awareness of the ISIS ideology," he affirmed. Moreover, the developments in the field of economy and the formation of the new government should be addressed as the transition to the new rule can lead to turmoil. All parties should be aware of any potential conflict arising from inter-ethnic and religious statements that are circulated in the community through social and mass media. Pastika hoped that the issues will be addressed wisely so that they do not involve outside parties and disturb the religious harmony, which is already well established in Bali. The participants will maintain conducive situation and take appropriate measures to prevent negativity from spreading in Bali. Earlier, the MK had rejected the entire plea on the dispute of the presidential election results as filed by the presidential and vice presidential pair Prabowo-Hatta. "(Court) rejects the plaintiff`s request entirely," MK Chief Justice Hamdan Zoelva noted while reading out the verdict here on Thursday evening. The Prabowo-Hatta duo filed a dispute on the presidential election results with the MK alleging structured, systematic, and massive election fraud during the implementation of the 2014 presidential election.