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23.1% of public believe Jokowi interfering in blasphemy case: Survey
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Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting founder Saiful Mujani presents his organization’s latest survey regarding public opinion on a recent large-scale rally against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, during a discussion held in Jakarta on Thursday. (JP/Margareth S. Aritonang)
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span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">A survey by Jakarta-based Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) has found that only 23.1 percent of the public are convinced about President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s interference into an ongoing blasphemy case implicating Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.
“They believe Jokowi’s intervention is aimed at acquitting Ahok of all charges,” SMRC’s founder Saiful Mujani told a discussion in Jakarta on Thursday.
Of 1, 220 respondents that SMRC interviewed on the matter, 29.5 percent believed Jokowi was not involved in Ahok’s case, while 47.3 percent refused to comment.
SMRC conducted its survey on Nov. 22 to 28 countrywide to gauge people’s opinions on an anti-Ahok rally held on Nov. 4.
The survey found the majority of respondents believed that Ahok’s remarks citing Surah al-Maidah from the Quran were blasphemous, although only a few had actually seen a video of the statement Ahok delivered in Thousand Islands on Sept. 27.
“The majority of the public has no idea of Ahok’s exact words but has developed negative sentiments [against him] from the media, including social media,” Mujani said, adding that people had also consumed rumors about Jokowi’s role in protecting Ahok. (jun)
