ICC Note:
A prominent Muslim leader has not only encouraged Catholics to get out and vote in the upcoming Indonesian elections but has also appeared to endorse the incumbent Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, for Governor. Ahok has been embroiled in a controversial blasphemy trial brought against him by hardline Muslims and has seen his lead in the polls slip. At a gathering the Muslim leader observed how Ahok had transformed the city of Jakarta and had tackled some of its corruption issues. The trial against Ahok has seemed to highlight tension between hardline Muslims and Christian minorities of Indonesia.
1/16/2017 Indonesia (UCA News) – A prominent Muslim intellectual has urged Indonesian Catholics to put any prejudices aside and vote in regional elections next month for leaders that can make society a better place for all citizens, regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds.
Millions of Indonesians will elect new leaders on Feb. 15 in more than 100 regions across the archipelago, including Jakarta.
Three candidates are vying to become Jakarta governor, including Christian incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, commonly known as “Ahok.” The other candidates are Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Anies Baswedan, a former education minister.
“We have to vote for a brave leader who can make changes in this capital,” Mohammad Qodari, a prominent Muslim intellectual and executive director of Indo Barometer, an independent research and survey institute, told hundreds of Catholics at a gathering at Sacred Heart Church in Central Java, on Jan. 15.
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