Seysha Desnikia, Jakarta – Islamic Community Forum (FUI) Secretary general Muhammad Al-Khaththath has expressed his disappointment with several political parties contesting the 2018 regional elections (Pilkada).
This is because the Alumni 212’s recommendations on nominations for regional candidates in the 2018 simultaneous elections have not been headed by the political parties.
This was conveyed when Al-Khaththath attended a press conference by former Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) chairperson and businessperson La Nyalla Mattalitti on the East Java gubernatorial elections at the Mbok Berek Restaurant on Jl. Prof Dr Soepomo in Tebet, South Jakarta, on Tuesday January 11.
Earlier, Al-Khaththath explained that three political parties had failed to heed a recommendation submitted by the Alumni 212 for candidates in five regional elections.
Yet, said Al-Khaththath, [fugitive pornography suspect] Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Habib Rizieq, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, instructed them that the spirit of the 212 in Jakarta be repeated in other regional elections. Rizieq made a request with the three political party chairs that they back candidates recommended by the ulama [Islamic scholars].
Habib Rizieq’s request to the three political party chairs was that their parties employ the same method as was used to win the Jakarta gubernatorial election in February. Rizieq wanted this method to be imitated in other regional elections.
“Habib Rizieq’s message when I went to Mecca, was to ask the three political party leaders to copy-paste [the method] used in Jakarta in order to secure victories in other provinces. Now, of course I don’t know if there was a misperception that we would support them with a blank cheque [unconditionally]. Perhaps that was their understanding”, said Al-Khaththath.
“We supported the rise of Governor Anies-Sandi with the spirit of the 212, the spirit of Al-Maidah 51. We hoped that it would happen in other places”, he added.
Al-Khaththath also revealed that a meeting took place with the three political party chairs at the official residence of one of the party leaders. The party chairs said that there are particular provinces where they cannot use the same method as they did in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, particularly in provinces where the Islamic community is not dominant.
“(The three chairs said) ‘We cannot possibly do that in for example Sulut [North Sulawesi], in Papua, in NTT [East Nusa Tenggara].’ We (the Alumni 212) understood but if that happened in East Java, it would be a headache. I’ve had many complaints from below”, said Al-Khaththath.
“It showed in several provinces, showed pictures of coalitions that were not in line with what we support. Including these complaints”, he added.
The sympathisers of the Alumni 212, said Al-Khaththath, have asked that that the ulama admonish the three parties. Before the problem gets out of hand, the Alumni 212 made an offer to the party leaders by asking that [our candidates] be accepted in just five regions.
“Never mind the other areas, in just the five we requested there was no positive response. Moreover I waited at Cilandak and Ragunan until 2am in the morning for the recommendation to be issued. None of them were recommended at all, so what’s up?”, asked Al-Khaththath.
Notes
The Alumni 212 is named after the so-called Defend Islam protests on December 2, 2016 against incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama which eventually led to him being jailed on trumped up blasphemy charges and loosing the election to the Prabowo Subianto backed Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno ticket.
The three political parties referred to by Al-Khaththath are Prabowo Subianto’s Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the Islamic based Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) and the Islamic based National Awakening Party (PAN), which backed the Baswedan-Uno ticket in the Jakarta gubernatorial elections in February.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was Al-Khaththath: Pesan Habib Rizieq Copy-Paste DKI di Pilgub Lain.]
