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View all search resultsKalla blasphemy report raises concerns over pressure on govt critics
The report comes amid heightened scrutiny over freedom of expression under President Prabowo Subianto, with critics pointing to a rise in legal threats, police reports and public pressure directed at dissenting voices.
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Then Vice President Jusuf Kalla speaks on Sept. 27, 2019, during the 74th Session of the General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the United States. (AFP/TIMOTHY A. CLARY)
F
ormer vice president Jusuf Kalla has been reported to the police over alleged blasphemy following a viral clip of his remarks, in a case analysts deem could be “politically motivated” and reflective of a broader pattern of legal pressure targeting vocal government critics.
Kalla was reported on Sunday to the Jakarta Police by the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement (GAMKI) and several other groups, who accused him of making statements that they said were blasphemous and do not reflect Christian and Catholic teachings.
The complaint stems from a public lecture delivered on March 5 at the mosque of Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM), where Kalla discussed past communal conflicts in Indonesia, including in Poso, Central Sulawesi, and Ambon, Maluku.
At one point in the 43-minute address, Kalla said that both Muslim and Christian groups had invoked martyrdom during periods of violence, remarks that resurfaced and went viral on social media last week.
“Why do religions easily become a reason for conflict, like in Poso and Ambon? Because both Muslims and Christians believe that killing or being killed can be considered martyrdom.”
“During conflict, both sides hold that belief. If I kill a Muslim, I become a martyr. If I die, I also become a martyr. That makes it difficult to stop,” he added, according to the viral clip and as quoted from the livestreamed lecture on the mosque’s YouTube channel.
Read also: Jusuf Kalla reported to police over alleged blasphemy
