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Ahok conviction ‘democratic setback’
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The supporters of Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama cry after hearing Ahok's hearing in front of the North Jakarta District Court on Tuesday. The panel of judges declared him guilty and sentenced him to two years in prison for religious blasphemy. (JP/Seto Wardhana.)
O
utgoing Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama is not the first Indonesian to be convicted of blasphemy, and he is unlikely to be the last.
The blasphemy case against the governor, who was sentenced to two years in prison for “defaming religion” by the North Jakarta District Court on Tuesday, has set a precedent that the nation’s blasphemy law could easily be abused for political purposes, human rights activists warn.
The verdict was handed down less than a month after Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, was defeated by his Muslim rival, Anies Baswedan, in the April 19 Jakarta gubernatorial election runoff following campaigns riven by boiling religious tension and sectarian rallies in the capital.
The outspoken governor, who rose to political stardom for his no-nonsense attitude and clean image, saw his electability nosedive in November when he was accused of insulting the Quran for saying that some people had been using a Quranic verse — Al-Maidah 51 — to block his reelection bid.
Ahok’s case has shown that even a man in a powerful position, if he comes from a minority group, cannot escape the inherent injustices of Indonesia’s blasphemy laws, Amnesty International Indonesia director Usman Hamid told The Jakarta Post.
He further warned that Ahok’s conviction could have a serious implication on the country’s freedom of thought and expression, as it could provide legitimacy for people to use the blasphemy laws to criminalize those who express critical thoughts about religion.
