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Rock band calls on media to resist provocations
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Members of legendary Indonesian rock band Slank are interviewed by The Jakarta Post in Gang Potlot III, South Jakarta. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
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part of being bold supporters of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, legendary Indonesian rock band Slank is also known to back Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and his running mate, Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat, for next month’s gubernatorial election.
Bimbim, Slank’s drummer, explained last year that what Ahok and Djarot had done was equivalent to Slank’s anticorruption campaign. “If [the election] goes into a second round, we promise that we will be directly involved [to lend our support]. Hopefully, it will be a first-round election,” he said at the time, following the candidates’ visit to the band’s base, Gang Potlot.
Ahok currently faces blasphemy charges over a comment on Surah al-Maidah, Verse 51 of the Quran that he made during a visit to the Thousand Islands regency in September last year.
(Read also: It's morally wrong not to support Jokowi: Slank)
During the band’s recent interview with The Jakarta Post, guitarist Ridho expressed his respect for religious tolerance in Ambon.
“When I spoke at a discussion at IAIN (the State Islamic Studies Institute) in Ambon, they have this pela gandong (harmonious relationship) with students from UKIM (Indonesian Christian University of Maluku),” he stated, adding that students from UKIM would attend graduation ceremonies at IAIN. The students are also actively involved in celebrations like Christmas and help maintain security at worship venues.
“I think they [IAIN and UKIM students] grow up under these circumstances [religious tolerance], so they don’t really think about their friends’ religion, as long as Ambon moves forward,” Ridho continued. “Jakarta could actually be more advanced than that,” he added.
Slank is set to release a new album, PalaLoPeyank, on Feb. 1. Dedicated to the band’s currently inactive guitarist, Abdee Negara, the album is also a way for the band to reach out to its fans and encourage them not to be easily provoked or fall for lies spread via social media.
“Indonesians have the habit of ‘lempar batu sembunyi tangan’ (saying irresponsible things and then going into hiding),” Bimbim said. “They think they’re invisible on social media.”
Furthermore, Bimbim also called on the media to not be so easily provoked. “[It’s] because the media have to be ‘God’s hands’ in informing people about the truth,” stated the drummer. “If a piece of news has the potential to create chaos, it shouldn’t be published. It’s not like, ‘Oh, let’s reveal everything’. It’s not like that, because the current situation is very critical.” (asw)
