Arrest of Jakarta governor demanded before runoff

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) - A crowd gathered in front of Indonesia’s parliament Tuesday to demand the arrest of Jakarta’s governor ahead of a runoff election scheduled for April.

Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, fought the Feb. 15 gubernatorial election under the shadow of blasphemy allegations in the world’s most populous Muslim nation over remarks he made about a Quran verse last year.

According to official results released by the Jakarta Election Commission, Purnama -- an ethnic Chinese Christian and an ally of President Joko Widodo -- secured 42.96 percent of the vote compared to the 39.97 percent of his closest rival, former education minister Anies Baswedan.

A runoff is scheduled to be held in mid-April as no candidate passed the 50 percent threshold.

Around 10,000 people -- including members of the Muslim People Forum (FUI) -- joined Tuesday’s protest demanding Purnama’s suspension, kompas.com reported.

"If Ahok is not arrested, we will stay here," an orator was quoted as saying over loudspeakers.

Bernard Abdul Jabbar, an FUI member and demonstration coordinator, told Anadolu Agency, "we are urging House members to send a letter to President Joko Widodo asking him to suspend Ahok who has been named as a defendant in accordance with applicable law."

Protesters also called on police not to investigate several cases involving some clerics critical of Purnama including Rizieq Shihab, the leader of the Islamic Defenders Front which has mobilized several large demonstrations against the governor since November.

Earlier this month, police declared Shihab a suspect for insulting the state ideology of Pancasila -- under which Indonesia's diverse ethnicities and religions are unified -- and state symbols.

Purnama remains on trial, a process that could last until May, and faces up to five years in prison if found guilty.