T

he police are in the spotlight as thousands of protesters from across Indonesia are expected to hit Jakarta’s streets to demand that Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama be charged with alleged blasphemy.

The National Police have said they will expedite the investigation of the case in an apparent bid to ease tension but concerns have also been raised as to whether the police will also charge those who disseminate hate speech against Ahok.

On Thursday, investigators questioned Yogyakarta-based Indonesian Islamic University (UII) criminal law lecturer Mudzakir and Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab as expert witnesses in Ahok’s alleged blasphemy case.

The move could be seen as the police’s attempt to show the public they are serious in investigating the case, but National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said Rizieq put himself forward to be questioned.

Previously, a number of Muslim groups, including the FPI, reported Ahok to the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) for allegedly insulting the Quran, based on a video of Ahok citing a Quranic verse in a speech to a group of fishermen in Thousand Islands.

After eight hours of questioning, Rizieq, who claimed he was appointed by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) as an expert witness, said he had given investigators several interpretations of Al-Maidah verse 51 quoted by Ahok in the video, although he declined to go into detail.

Rizieq, along with many other leading Islamic hard-liners, has frequently appeared on the media making harsh comments about Ahok that many observers have described as hate speech.

When asked if the police would take action against such comments, Bareskrim chief Comr. Gen. Ari Dono Sukmanto said only that police investigators would not be pressured into investigating cases.

He explained investigators were expediting the preliminary investigation of Ahok and other related cases including hate speeches.

Ari said the police were planning to summon other experts, including a legal expert from the Law and Human Rights Ministry, in order to ascertain whether or not Ahok violated Article 156 of the Criminal Code regarding blasphemy.

In the video, believed to have first appeared on the Facebook account of communications lecturer Buni Yani, Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, is seen mentioning Al-Maidah verse 51 from the Quran.

On Oct. 7, a group calling itself the Ahok-Djarot Saiful Hidayat Young Advocate Community (Kotak Sadja) reported Buni to the Jakarta Police for using his Facebook account to spread the video, which the group believed had been selectively edited.

The group also accused Buni of providing a false transcript of Ahok’s statement in the video.

Buni struck back at Kotak Sadja’s claim as he reported the latter for alleged defamation on Oct. 10, also to the Jakarta Police

Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono said investigators were in the midst of gathering evidence for the two cases, adding that four expert witnesses had been questioned by investigators relating to the said cases.

“Efforts to resolve the two cases are ongoing, thus there is no reason to say that we aren’t processing them seriously,” Awi told The Jakarta Post.

Setara Institute deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos said Rizieq had no qualification as an expert witness because he did not have any notable publications that could confirm his expertise in the field.

In addition, Rizieq was also encouraging people to flock to Jakarta to stage a mass protest pushing for the National Police to prosecute Ahok, he said.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla gave assurances that the government respected existing laws and democracy in the wake of the police’s plan to summon Ahok for questioning over the alleged blasphemy.

“And the National Police chief has promised to investigate the case [fairly and without favoritism] in line with public expectations,” Kalla said.