Indonesia gears up for crucial polls
Religious tensions underpin Jakarta vote
JAKARTA: Tens of millions of Indonesians head to the polls on Wednesday in local elections across the Muslim-majority country, with bitter feuding over the powerful post of Jakarta governor stoking political and religious tensions.
Incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Jakarta’s first Christian and ethnic Chinese leader, has angered some Muslim voters for allegedly insulting the Koran. He has denied wrongdoing, but is on trial for blasphemy in a case that rights groups and his supporters view as politically motivated.
Mr Purnama is backed by President Joko Widodo’s party and is running against Agus Yudhoyono, the son of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and ex-education minister Anies Baswedan. The two Muslim candidates appear to have won over much of the conservative Islamic vote and some Purnama supporters.
“In terms of performance, I support Ahok,” said Ferdi Ramadhan, 20, referring to Mr Purnama’s nickname. “However, I’m a Muslim ... so I think I will vote for Anies Baswedan,” he said.
Mr Purnama has been popular among the middle classes for cutting red tape in the traffic-clogged city and pushing through infrastructure projects, such as constructing defences against sea water intrusion.
But the forced evictions of slum dwellers from their riverbank homes to ease chronic
flooding in the city have also angered many mainly Muslim residents. Muslims make up around 85% of the city’s population.
“I personally am sick of arguing about these candidates and would like to just move on,” said Sari Ekaputri, a 38-year old marketing executive who lives in Jakarta.
Jakarta police will deploy 16,000 officers ahead of voting day as concerns remain about hardline Muslim groups trying to hold similar rallies to the mass protests seen late last year calling for the jailing of Mr Purnama.
Police banned a rally that was being planned by Islamist groups on Saturday, citing security concerns.
Despite the blasphemy allegations, Mr Purnama has rebounded in opinion polls to remain a frontrunner. Even if he is convicted, he is legally allowed to run the city as long as appeals are under way, according to analysts.
Jakarta’s poll is one of scores of regional elections due to be held in other provinces, cities, and districts throughout Indonesia.
But nowhere are the stakes quite as high as in the capital. Winning Jakarta can be a stepping stone to the presidency, as it was for Mr Widodo.
“This election can determine the trajectory of future Indonesian politics ... whether we will see an ugly future, where religion and ethnicity is further politicized for gains,” said Tobias Basuki, a political analyst at a Jakarta-based thinktank.