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Staff to be questioned on Ahok’s defamation case
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Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama shows the fish he caught during his visit to Thousand Islands regency on Sept. 28. (Youtube/via kompas.com)
T
he National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) will question Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s staff members, who accompanied him during his visit to Thousands Islands regency on Sept. 28.
The questioning will be part of the investigation of Ahok's defamation case, said Bareskrim’s general crime director Brig. Gen. Agus Andrianto in Jakarta on Tuesday as reported by tribunnews.com.
“The investigators have questioned a number of people in Thousands Islands, including the subdistrict head and fishermen. We will seek information from Pak Ahok’s staff members,” said Agus.
The case started when Ahok spoke in front of Thousands Islands residents and officials of the Jakarta administration. Speaking about the voting rights of the residents, the governor talked about Surah al-Maidah, Verse 51 of the Quran that many have interpreted as prohibiting Muslims from voting for non-Muslim candidates.
In his speech, Ahok said, “In your inner hearts, Bapak/Ibu may not vote for me, because [you have been] lied to by Surah al-Maidah, verse 51, etc. It is your rights. So you do not need to feel uneasy if you cannot vote for me because you are afraid of being condemned to hell as you are being fooled. It is alright.”
While the investigators are waiting for the National Police's analysis of the video recording of Ahok's speech, they also seek explanations from experts about the speech, said Agus. (bbn)
