REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Jin De Yuan Buddhist Temple at Petak Sembilan, Glodok, in downtown Jakarta was very busy preparing Lunar New Year celebrations, or Imlek. In the temple`s compound, people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds worked hand in hand to prepare the Chinese New Year celebrations on January 23.

Local civil defense personnel (Hansip) most of them are Muslim, prepared themselves to guard the temple. They were ready to wait visitors at the peak time, people on the eve of or on Imlek.

Some workers, mostly are Muslims, painted the temple’s wall. "We try our best to prepare the temple for the celebrations. We need the cooperation of many parties, including people living around the temple," said Yu Ie (37 year old), the Jin De Yuan temple`s manager. “Their religion or ethnic does not matter in this term," Yu Ie added.

"I would really like to help here, because I have been living around here since I was little, and people from this temple have always been kind to me," Suratin (50 year old), one of the civil defense guards said.

Imlek was not listed as an official holiday on Indonesian calendars for many years. But, since early 2002, it has been a national holiday, indicating a strengthening of the nation`s interfaith and inter-ethnic sense of tolerance and respect.

"Historically, the Jin De Yuan temple was the oldest house of worship of its kind in Jakarta. It was first built in 1650 but destroyed by the colonial government in 1740 and rebuilt in 1755 and then named Jin De Yuan which means virtue of gold." Yu Ie explained. Then, if you are interested in interfaith relations in Indonsia, you can visit Petak Sembilan. It may not reflect Indonesia as a whole. Yet, Petak Sembilan has been practicing interfaith tolerance at the grassroots level.

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