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ndonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Ma’ruf Amin stated on Saturday that a caliphate, a system of Islamic rule under a leader considered a successor to the Prophet Muhammad, was not suitable for Indonesia, as the country had already adopted a republican system.

“A republic as the foundation of the nation has been agreed. We don’t need to talk about a caliphate anymore, [the debate] is already over,” he said after the opening of an economic congress in Jakarta, as quoted by kompas.com.

Ma’ruf said Indonesia’s founding fathers of different backgrounds had approved the democratic republican system. He added that a proposed caliphate would trigger turmoil.

“It has become a big issue again since the emergence of groups wanting a new system,” he said, referring to the International Khilafah Forum, which had been planned for Jakarta on Sunday, organized by hard-line group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI).

Reports of the planned event triggered a social media frenzy, with the hash tag #KhilafahSolusinya (a caliphate is the solution) going viral. The planned forum sparked widespread debate online, making the hash tag one of the nationally trending topics on Sunday.

Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said on Saturday that the event had been canceled as the police had not issued a permit for it after evaluating potential security risks.