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n a meeting with Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnana on Jan. 10, the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) asked city authorities to help to reinforce its edict against holding mass prayers in public spaces, including on main streets in Jakarta. Ahok agreed to help the clerics. Mass prayers, many of them organized by clerics claiming to be descendants of Prophet Muhammad, often cause massive traffic jams, and the police do almost nothing to stop the activities despite mounting public complaints.

Have the MUI leaders forgotten their edict against voting for a Christian, which Ahok is, in July last year, just before the gubernatorial election? Or have they finally accepted the principle of vox populi vox Dei (the voice of people is the voice of God)? Did the leaders of the state-recognized council decide to “annul” their decision that it was haram (forbidden under Islam) for Muslims to vote for a non-Muslim candidate in last year’s gubernatorial election — because the majority of Jakartans chose Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Ahok as their governor and vice governor, respectively, until 2017?

The MUI reportedly issued an edict on July 23 last year on “the obligation [for Muslims] to vote for Muslim candidates for governor and vice governor, and it is haram to vote for an infidel,” bisnis.com quoted the MUI as declaring. The clerics were clearly in favor of then incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo.

Not long after Jokowi and Ahok’s victory, the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) demanded the city council ensure that Ahok would not deal with anything related to Islam, such as religious organizations. The FPI said that Ahok could only deal with religious matters if he converted to Islam.

It is tempting to question the motive of the clerics in making such a demand of Ahok. From a positive point of view, the clerics have fully accepted the leadership of Governor Jokowi and Ahok, and Ahok now has an opportunity to demonstrate his ability to talk to mass prayer organizers, because it is crystal clear that even the police do little to enforce bylaws on public order.

But we also cannot blame people who may think — rightly or wrongly — that the MUI leaders are setting a trap for Ahok because there is little chance that he can settle such a sensitive issue when the MUI leaders themselves are reluctant to try.

Meanwhile, the South Tangerang Health Agency has taken blood samples from 187 street workers in an effort to monitor the spread of HIV in the new municipality. The agency’s M. Rusmin indicated  on Thursday that the agency had  raided sex workers and apparently forced them to undergo blood tests.

“If tested positive for HIV, we must place them in a quarantine center for medication and education on HIV/AIDS,” said Rusmin.

In the past several years, the central and local governments have faced pressure to close official prostitution centers by public figures, who said it was sinful and against any religious teachings. However, it created another problem, because it is much more difficult for health officials to monitor sex workers’ health when they work on the streets or backstreet brothels.

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The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Tuesday that only one new political party, the National Democrat (NasDem) Party, had passed verification for the next election. The new party will join nine other political parties, which have seats in the legislature, in the 2014 election.

Thirty-four political parties registered for the election, meaning that 24 parties failed to meet the legal requirements. The failed parties accused the nine parties — including Golkar,  Democratic Party (PD), the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) and the Prosperous Justice Party —  of intentionally blocking new players from the election by creating a restrictive Election Law.

The number of participants in the 2014 election will be fewer than those in the three previous free-and-democratic  elections. In 1999, or one year after the fall of Soeharto from his 32-year rule, 48 parties contested the legislative election.  In 2004, the number was only 24. The 2009 election was
contested by 38 parties.

Meanwhile, following public outcry and pressure from the central government,  Lhokseumawe Mayor Suaidi Yahya has been forced to delay, at least for a while, his decision to ban women from straddling motorcycles. The mayor of Aceh’s second-largest city argued that the position was improper for women according to Islam. Instead, women should ride sidesaddle according to him, with both legs on one side of the motorcycle.

The mayor also insisted that the planned policy would strengthen women’s dignity in the city. Aceh is the only province allowed to implement sharia in Indonesia. It was the result of a peace agreement between the central government and the Free Aceh Movement several years ago.
 
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On Friday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed flamboyant legislator Roy Suryo Notodiprojo as the new youth and sports minister, replacing Andi Mallarangeng. Andi, a former presidential spokesman, is awaiting trial after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) declared him a suspect in a sports center construction scandal. The scandal has severely tarnished Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party.

Roy has resigned from the House of Representatives (DPR). Many people, even his own party members, have ridiculed his promotion to the Cabinet due to his track record or lack of. The 44-year-old politician — often dubbed an IT expert — has acknowledged that he has little experience in sports and youth affairs.

— Kornelius Purba