Indonesian police thwart plot to fan violence during mass protest
JAKARTA: Indonesian police yesterday said they had detained eight people before dawn, thwarting a plot hatched to take advantage of a demonstration by tens of thousands of Muslims and lead an uprising against President Joko Widodo’s government.
The detentions followed weeks of tension, during which Widodo said ‘political actors’ had fanned violence at a Nov. 4 protest and the country’s police chief warned that ‘certain groups’ might try to occupy parliament during Friday’s rally.
The group had been under surveillance for at least three weeks, and the move against it came hours before the start of a rally in central Jakarta to protest against the city’s governor, a Christian accused of insulting the Quran.
Police spokesman Boy Raf li Amar described the plan as attempted subversion of Widodo’s government, which has strong support from the military. “The suspicion is that among other things there was a link to plans to attempt subversion, and to take advantage of conditions today,” Amar said.
“They had another agenda aside from prayers.”
A sea of white- clad protesters surged around Jakarta’s National Monument on Friday morning. Police estimated their number at about 150,000, many having come from towns and cities across the island of Java.
They chanted and carried banners demanding that the city’s governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, be jailed. Purnama is being investigated over comments about his opponents’ use of the Quran during political campaigning.
He denies wrongdoing, but has apologised for the remarks. Police on Thursday handed a dossier on their investigation of his comments to prosecutors, who are expected to take the case of alleged blasphemy to court in coming weeks.
Purnama, a long- time ally of Widodo, is running for re- election in February against two Muslim candidates.
The contest for the governorship has sent political tension soaring, with rumours of plots to undermine Widodo and scupper his chances of winning a second term in 2019. Police spokesman Rikwanto said altogether 10 people were detained between 3am to 6am. Eight were being investigated under the conspiracy and treason provisions of the criminal code, and the other two for hate speech.
“They are being accused of subversion,” said Yusril Ihza Mahendra, a lawyer for two of the eight.
He said the group included Rachmawati Sukarnoputri, a politician and sister of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri. Their father was independent Indonesia’s first president.
The group also included rock musician Ahmad Dhani and retired army general Kivlan Zen, who had both supported one of Widodo’s rivals for the presidency in 2014, the lawyer said.
Dhani faced public criticism in 2014, when he appeared wearing a German Nazi-like uniform in a music video while campaigning for his candidate.
Rachmawati and Dhani had called on Thursday for protesters to march towards parliament, media reported.