The Jakarta Globe, January 1, 2014.
Banda Aceh. In defiance of a ban placed on New Year’s Eve festivities, thousands of residents of Banda Aceh gathered downtown to celebrate the occasion with fireworks and revelry.
“Usually, there are a lot of fireworks set off here on New Year’s Eve,” Eliana, an onlooker who was with her family, said.
Most of those present were young people, and many of them were on motorbikes.
A government truck was also touring the area, although not to join the celebration. Instead, it was trying to disperse the crowd.
“We are calling on people not to celebrate New Year’s Eve,” a voice from the truck’s loudspeaker said.
Despite the heavy crackdown on fireworks prior to the celebration, some enthusiastic participants managed to light off a few firecrackers when the clock struck midnight. The occassion was also marked by cheers and shouts from the crowd, which persisted despite efforts by security personnel to disband the gathering.
Some 150 members of the Shariah Police, reinforced by hundreds of police officers and dozens of soldiers, were deployed to the area near the Simpang Lima intersection to discourage merrymaking.
They scoured the crowd to find those who set off the fireworks, but only managed to find one male suspect who they later released after he was questioned and given “guidance.”
Members of the Aceh branch of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), as well members of the Muslim Student Association (PII), guarded roads leading to other popular New Year’s Eve gathering spots, including Ulee Lheue beach.
Regardless, fireworks continued to be heard and seen across town until about 90 minutes after midnight, witnesses said.
This is the first time Banda Aceh prohibited the celebration of the new year. The Banda Aceh Ulema Deliberation Council (MPU) on November 12 issued a fatwa, or decree, saying that “it is haram for Muslims to celebrate New Year’s Eve.”
The fatwa also prohibited Muslims from extending Christmas and on New Year’s greetings to others.
Under a broad-ranging autonomy accorded to the province following a peace pact signed in Augst 2005 beteween the government and separatist rebels that ended decades of violent conflict, Aceh has been allowed to implement partial Shariah law.
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wo 1 jan 2014 - 7:34