The protests against the christian governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, are not really about religion.
Analysts believe the Islamists organised the protest at the behest of opposition parties hoping to derail Busaki’s re-election in February.
There have been calls for Basuki to be imprisoned, or even executed for blasphemy and hate speech.
10,000 demonstrators took to Jakarta’s streets last month and as many as 50,000 people on 4 November.
Better known by his Chinese nickname “Ahok”, he became Jakarta’s first non-Muslim governor for 50 years when he took over from Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in 2014.
He is the first ethnic Chinese Indonesian in the post.
A prominent Muslim scholar and former rector of the State Islamic University in Jakarta, says the protests are purely political.
“They are using the blasphemy issue as an entry point to challenge Jokowi and pressure him,” said Mr Azyumardi Azra.
“If you look at their posters during the demonstration, there is no mention about banning alcohol, banning gay and lesbian groups, nothing like what they normally protest about,”
Analysts like Azra believe the Islamists organised the protest at the behest of opposition parties hoping to derail Busaki’s re-election in February.
They see this as an opening salvo against his backer, Joko, aimed at settling scores and ultimately denying the president re-election in 2020.
Ahok is seeking a second term as Jakarta governor. He is a possible running mate for Widodo in the 2019 presidential elections.
He is popular with Jakarta’s middle class. He is adored as a blunt speaker who doesn’t tolerate corruption and articulates a vision to make the chaotic, dysfunctional city more like clean, orderly and efficient Singapore.
“It’s a sad development in Indonesian politics when race and religion are being used by politicians,” said Philips J. Vermonte, the head of the politics and international relations department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.
Source
- bbc.com
- nytimes.com
- bangkokpost
- Image: bangkokpost
