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Sectarian issues in Jakarta election may rip society apart, expert warns
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Military personnel guards thousands of people who march from the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Central Jakarta after Friday prayers to protest against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy. (JP/Liza Yosephine )
P
eople must stop using tribal, religious, racial and societal group (SARA) issues in Jakarta gubernatorial election campaign as they would strongly contribute to the disintegration of society in the long term, a political communications expert has warned.
SARA issues would make long-term impacts on society even after the election ended, said University of Indonesia political communications expert Ade Armando. He explained, for example, that some Christians might feel offended by Muslim people who do not let them be leaders.
"We must fight against SARA issues as it is not only about winning the election. It will affect the state's unity [and] will affect how the followers of different religions see each other. Christians may see Muslims as foes and vice versa," he said in a discussion at the Para Syndicate office in South Jakarta on Friday.
Ade said the protests of hardline groups against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama over his citation of a Quranic verse was an example of SARA issues being exploited for the gubernatorial election
The groups’ effort to eliminate Ahok's candidacy by making him a suspect of alleged religious blasphemy, he argued, would only break the state's unity and create spats among religious masses, especially Muslims and Christians. (ags)
