Indonesia: Another large demonstration against the Christian governor

According to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the power struggle in Indonesia – involving reformers and nationalist as well as Islamic hardliners – might be a threat to the rights of the ethnic and religious minorities in the country. Currently, an ongoing dispute over alleged blasphemous statements made by a Christian governor of Chinese descent is about to escalate. Islamists are trying to incite, and President Joko Widodo is about to give up his neutrality in religious questions. “In the course of the power struggle with Widodo, anti-reformers have turned to the ill-fated spirit of religious intolerance, which we fear might get out of control and will not disappear again. Indonesia’s religious and ethnic diversity is at stake,” explained Ulrich Delius, the STP’s Asia-consultant, in Göttingen on Friday. “In his efforts to calm down the situation, the president has unfortunately decided to make concessions to the demonstrators, and Indonesia can hardly be described as a country of religious diversity any longer.”

For the third demonstration against governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama in the capital Jakarta, his critics managed to mobilize about 200,000 people – more than twice as many as for the demonstration in early November. In order to prevent a violent escalation of today’s mass demonstration, Widodo joined the demonstrators and initiated a mass prayer for the unity of the country. “His attempt to pacify the protesters by embracing them is highly problematic, because the state is about to give up its neutrality in religious questions and to become a Muslim state,” said Delius. “Officially, however, Indonesia is a secular state. The rights of the religious minorities must be protected and respected!”

Further, the human rights activist warned: “The mass demonstration is similar to a pre-trial. It will be difficult for the judiciary to come to an independent, unbiased decision in the imminent blasphemy trial. Ahok is even lucky that he has not yet been arrested and that he can prepare for the trial in freedom. However, he is facing so much hostility by nationalists and Islamists that he will hardly be able to continue his political career, even if he is to be acquitted.” Radical Sunnis are accusing him of making jokes about Koran verse 51 during an event in September 2016. The verse suggests that Muslims should not make non-Muslims their leaders.

Header Photo: State Dept./Erik A. Kurniawa via flickr