SANGGAU, thekabarnews.com—Organizers canceled a planned religious gathering featuring prominent Muslim preacher Ustaz Abdul Somad (UAS) in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Sanggau Regent Yohanes Ontot said the organizing committee notified local officials of the cancellation and cited several reasons, including an issue related to the event permit. He urged residents not to assume that the district administration had blocked the preacher’s visit.

“People should not misunderstand the situation. For an event like this, whether it is a religious gathering or another public activity, the permit does not come from the regent. It must go through the police,” Ontot said by telephone on Friday, as quoted by Info Indonesia.

The committee had planned to hold a mass prayer and religious lecture at the Sabang Merah grandstand in Sanggau. Reports before the cancellation said the event could draw a large audience.

Ontot said the organizers made the cancellation decision and that licensing was one of the factors. However, neither the committee nor Sanggau Police had publicly provided a detailed account of the incomplete requirements when this article was prepared.

Police also had not publicly confirmed whether officials rejected an application, asked the committee for additional documents or had yet to complete the assessment. The available statements therefore do not establish that authorities permanently prohibited UAS from visiting Sanggau.

Indonesia’s public-event rules give the National Police authority to issue permits for large public gatherings. Government Regulation No. 60/2017 and National Police Regulation No. 7/2023 govern the licensing and supervision process.

According to the Polri.go.id, organizers must provide information about the event’s purpose, location, schedule, expected attendance and responsible officials. Police assess the documents and security requirements before issuing a permit.

“People have the right to organize activities and express their views. However, every public activity or large gathering must follow the required procedures,” Ontot said.

The cancellation followed public discussion about the planned lecture. Several subdistrict branches of the Dayak Customary Council (DAD) had earlier submitted a statement calling on organizers to consider Sanggau’s social diversity and maintain interfaith harmony.

The DAD said their statement did not reject Islam, Muslim worship or religious preaching. They called for dialogue among the committee, religious leaders, customary representatives and security authorities.

Ontot, who also chairs the Sanggau DAD, urged residents not to turn the cancellation into an ethnic or religious dispute.

“In Sanggau, we live amid diversity. The Dayak community has its customary and religious activities, and the Malay community does as well. We have always respected one another and have not prevented each other from holding activities,” he said.

He added that one canceled event should not damage relations built over many years.

“We may have different views, but those differences must not undermine the harmony we have built together,” Ontot said.

The regent encouraged residents to rely on official information while the committee and relevant authorities clarify the administrative circumstances. His statement placed responsibility for the cancellation with the organizers while reaffirming that police—not the district administration—handle permits for large public gatherings.