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Academics, students urged to stay away from anti-Ahok rally
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On guard – Mobil Brigade personnel march in front of the National Monument (Monas) complex in Jakarta on Oct.31. Tens of thousands of law enforcement personnel have been deployed to Jakarta to secure the country’s capital ahead of a massive rally planned on Nov. 4. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
T
he Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry has issued a circular to advise university students, lecturers and staff against participating in the anticipated religion-driven rally on Friday in Jakarta.
The rally, aimed at pushing for the prosecution of gubernatorial candidate and incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama on allegations of blasphemy, is expected to see 50,000 people from multiple Islamic organizations swarm Jakarta’s streets.
The circular was signed by the ministry’s director general for learning and student affairs, Intan Ahmad, on Wednesday and has been sent to thousands of state and private universities across the archipelago.
“We call on all students and lecturers to not get involved in the Nov. 4 mass rally,” Intan said in the circular.
The circular said under the Three Missions of University, or Tri Dharma, students had the right to voice their aspirations through demonstrations, as guaranteed by the country’s Constitution. However, as representatives of their respective universities, they must place themselves as nonpartisan parties in regard to political issues.
Ahok, a Christian and Indonesian of Chinese descent in the Muslim-majority country, has sparked uproar among Islamic groups and communities after he made a comment on verses in the Quran during his visit to Thousand Islands regency in late September. The police have until now received around a dozen reports regarding the case.
(Read also: Police summon Ahok in blasphemy case, deny favoritism)
Should the police meet protesters’ demand, Ahok will risk losing his candidacy in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election should he was named a suspect in the case.
The ministry, however, notes that it cannot ban students from taking part in the rally as to do so would go against basic human rights principle. It, however, asks students and lecturers to not bring any university attributes should they decide to take part in the rally by their own initiative. (hwa)
