Election in Indonesia’s Capital Could Test Ethnic and Religious Tolerance
13, 2017
JAKARTA, Indonesia — In one of the most contentious campaigns in the history of Indonesia’s young democracy, Basuki Tjahaja
Purnama, the governor of Jakarta, is battling on two fronts: in the court of public opinion and in the court of law.
" Mr. Vermonte said, noting that religion and ethnicity were not campaign issues in the 100 other provincial- and district-level elections also taking place on Wednesday.
that It’s actually the political elite that ignite this religious tension again and again,
However, emboldened hard-line Islamist groups held the series of protests in Jakarta and other cities late last year, demanding
that Mr. Basuki be jailed for blasphemy — or even lynched — including a demonstration in the capital in early November in which Muslim protesters set cars on fire and battled with riot police officers.
Some political analysts also called the court case, which they say violates a decades-old ban on using ethnicity
and religion as a political weapon, a move by opponents of Mr. Joko to weaken the president in the prelude to his 2019 re-election bid.
The elder Yudhoyono held two heated news conferences during the campaign, first to deny allegations
that he was secretly financing the protests, and also to reject assertions by Mr. Basuki’s trial lawyers that he had requested the Indonesia Ulema Council to issue the fatwa prohibiting Muslims from voting for a Christian.
Burhanuddin Muhtadi said that Conservative Islamic voters are strong in Jakarta, especially in south and east Jakarta,