Teraju.id, Ahead the Pontianak Town Square (12/9/2016) – Takbir sound filled the air everywhere. The crowd of citizens walked step by step towards the nearby Surau (small-sized Mosques), Mosques and fields to deliver their Eid Al-Adha 1437H prayers. The slightly cold, bright and overcast atmosphere of the morning made the Eid prayer congregations shaded.
The boys and girls scout who are members of the Committee of the Islamic Great Day, or what is known in Indonesian as Panitia Hari Besar Islam (PHBI) in Pontianak City went down from rows to rows to take some donation. 18 donation boxes were provided along the side of prayer rows.
As usual, the congregations brought the old newspapers with them to be pedestals for their ‘Sajadah’ (prayer mat). Unlike the previous years, recently the newspapers were collected and put in order. H. Sutarmidji, SH, M. Hum, the Mayor of Pontianak encouraged the people to voluntarily pick up, enfold, and keep the newspapers on the side of the road. The used newspapers are not supposed to be left scattered in the middle of the way.
The advisories was well-received and carried out by the community. They picked up the newspapers, enfolded, kept the newspapers on the side of the road to, then, be transported by the Sanitation Department. The cleaning up started from the confine of the Post Office on Rahadi Usman Street up to the curb before the ferry crossing. Thanks to these actions. The area seemed airy and clean.
“The best thing today is the change-over of our society during the Id Prayer. Last years, people left the newspapers strewn in the street after the prayers. Not anymore now, let’s see. It means my invitation to you to keep Pontianak cleaner will be manifest. We can also see the eagerness and orderliness of the people doing their Eid al-Adha prayers. Also, the number of sacrificial animals we have today is more than that we had in the previous years. And if the distribution runs well, everyone who deserves it will have it. And it is actually a positive sign of the economic growth of our city. This means that more and more people are able to sacrifice. By sacrificing, we are doing the footsteps as the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail and Siti Hajar that gives meaning to our life. So, we have to give and sacrifice our best for the good of others, for the sake of better and wider matters, especially to the city of Pontianak,” said H. Sutarmidji, SH, M. Hum, the Mayor of Pontianak.
Sacrificial animals have been distributed to all Mosques, Surau, and to the places in need. It was seen a cattle tied in a tree in the courtyard of the post office which served as a symbol of sacrificial animals handovered by the Mayor of Pontianak. Based on the infomation from the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) of Pontianak City, approximately 640 cattles and 1969 goats were given for slaughter around Pontianak. (Difa WF)
Translator: Christina S.
