On April 19 the second round of local elections to take place. At stake is also the governor of the capital. New protests by Islamic fundamentalist movements against Ahok. Abp. Suharyo: Voting essential to ensure "unity" of the Republic. An appeal for calm to avoid stressful situations.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - To counter the extremist drift and pressure campaigns carried out by pro-Muslim parties, the archbishop of Jakarta Ignatius Suharyo reiterates his call to all Catholics in the capital to exercise their civil rights and go vote. An appeal launched already in the first round in February and relaunched these days, ahead of the ballot scheduled for next April 19.
Particular attention is paid to the choice of the governor of the region of Jakarta (DKI Jakarta).
Yesterday thousands of Muslims, members of Islamic organizations, at the end of Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque Istiqlal headed towards the presidential palace, to ask once again for the resignation of the Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama. Behind the protest, an alleged blasphemy case that actually seems politically motivated to oust the governor, a Christian of Chinese descent, in the most populous Muslim nation in the world.
Previously there had been other cases of intimidation perpetrated by anonymous attackers, which covered several areas of the capital. Among the pretexts used to attack the governor, the fact that he is not a "native Indonesian." A term used to describe the descendants of Chinese origin, which began circulating at the time of the dictator Suharto (1967-1998) in which non-Muslims were abused and treated as second-class citizens.
Analysts and experts explain that behind the campaign of intimidation launched by Islamic groups there is an attempt to provoke a mass exodus abroad by "non-natives"; this would mean that a large chunk of the electorate would be missing that could push to victory - and a second term - the outgoing governor Ahok.
In this particular context yesterday the Archbishop of Jakarta published a pastoral letter. First, he invites the faithful to vote and exercise what is a right, but also a primary duty as a citizen. The choice of candidate should be based on their conscience and concerns for the welfare of the entire population, free of personal and party interests. "A good mark - writes the archbishop - is a significant contributor to guarantee the unity of the Republic of Indonesia, according to the philosophy of Pancasila [the founding principles of the state, which emphasize equality in diversity]". Finally, he invited the faithful to remain calm and to refrain from violent acts or those that could exacerbate the electoral environment.
Yesterday, meanwhile, the Indonesian police detained for questioning the leaders of the protest against the governor Ahok. Among them the Muslim leader Al-Khaththath, general secretary of the 'Islamic Society Forum and Tommy Suharto, son of former President Suharto.