JAKARTA, Nov 3 — Indonesian police deployed armoured vehicles and armed personnel in the capital Jakarta ahead of a protest tomorrow planned by hardline Muslims groups against the governor, a Christian and the first ethnic Chinese in the job, over claims he insulted the Quran.
Police said dozens of social media accounts had been found “publishing provocative statements and images” and urging people to take violent action in the name of Islam against Governor Basuki Tjahja Purnama, better known by his nickname “Ahok”, including calls to kill him.
“We have seen racially and ethnically divisive statements being spread online and there are indications many of them are anti-Chinese,” said Jakarta police spokesman Awi Setiyono.
Ethnic Chinese make up just over one per cent of Indonesia’s 250 million people, who are overwhelmingly Muslim. Typically, Indonesian Chinese do not enter politics, but Purnama has been a close ally of President Joko Widodo for decades.
He was the deputy governor of Jakarta when Widodo was governor and took over when Widodo stepped down in 2014 to contest the presidency.
Critics say Widodo’s government is doing little to contain the increasingly hostile rhetoric against Purnama from hardline Muslim groups. The mounting religious and ethnic tensions come ahead of next year’s election for Jakarta governor in which Purnama has said he will be a candidate.
“This theatre of hatred will continue if (Widodo) doesn’t tackle it and Indonesia will be a different country with less tolerance and more persecution of minorities,” said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch.
Muslim groups have accused Purnama of blasphemy after he said his opponents had deceived voters by attacking him using a verse from the Quran. Police are investigating the case against Purnama, who has apologised for the remarks.
Widodo has urged protesters to demonstrate peacefully.
He has also vowed not to interfere in the legal proceedings against Purnama, according to the Indonesian Clerical Council, a Muslim group.
“The president has said he has instructed (police) to process the investigation and that he will not intervene in this matter,” council member Ma’aruf Amin told reporters after meeting Widodo earlier this week.
Blasphemy laws
Police are stepping up patrols and online monitoring in a “show of force” ahead of tomorrow’s rally. About 18,000 police and military personnel will be deployed on the day of the protest.
Armoured police trucks and armed troopers stood outside the governor’s office at City Hall and outside the presidential palace, where thousands of protesters are expected to march tomorro.
Some businesses have told employees to stay home, citing fears that violence could erupt during the rally.
A spiritual leader for the protest organiser, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), insisted its actions tomorrow would be peaceful.
“This is not anti-Christian or anti-Chinese action,” Habib Riziek said.
The group has had a history of vigilante attacks and raising complaints of blasphemy against religious minorities since it was formed in 1999. It has also frequently protested against Purnama.
Blasphemy cases were rare under former strongman president Suharto’s 32-year reign, when there was little tolerance for hardline religious groups.
But cases have spiked in the country’s democratic era after Suharto’s fall in 1998, raising fears of increased persecution of minorities.
“If Ahok is taken to court, it will be the most high-profile blasphemy case in Indonesia’s history because of his status as a government official,” rights activist Harsono said.
“It will create a precedent of more hatred against Christians, against Chinese and other targets.”
Indonesia recognises six religions and a vast majority of the population practice a moderate for of Islam. But Indonesian Chinese have faced persecution and violence in the past, most recently during the political and social turmoil that gripped the capital when Suharto was toppled.
Hundreds of people were killed and thousands of ethnic Chinese fled the country as mobs rampaged through Jakarta, looting and burning Chinese-owned shops and houses.
Communications Minister Rudiantara said the government is working to counter the online “hate speech”.
“Indeed, social media is contributing to the current situation,” he said. “The president has made it clear Indonesia’s unity is non-negotiable.”
The race to lead Jakarta, a sprawling city of 10 million, is often hotly contested, with top political parties jostling to get their candidates elected to a job that is seen as a stepping stone to higher political office.
One of Purnama’s rivals in the governor’s race is the son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Purnama, who has gained a reputation as a tough reformer, remains a frontrunner in opinion polls. — Reuters
