Jakarta's Christian governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known by his nickname Ahok, flashes a victory sign as he appears in court for his ongoing blasphemy trial in Jakarta on Jan. 3. (Photo by AFP)
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 Jakarta, on Jan. 15.
Ahok is running for a second term despite facing blasphemy charges for comments made during an election speech in September which many Muslims insisted insulted the Quran.
Support for Ahok has slumped from 65 percent to 35 percent following the blasphemy allegation.
At the gathering Qodari appeared to back a second term for Ahok, saying the Protestant governor had transformed Jakarta from a city renowned for its slums and pollution into a cleaner and more vibrant metropolis. He also highlighted the governor's fighting against sluggish and inefficient bureaucracy and corruption.
"Don't waste your vote," Qodari told the gathering, adding that Catholics are not only good citizens but also good nation-builders.
Father Guido Suprapto, executive secretary of the Bishops' Commission for the Laity, said the bishops' conference issued a pastoral letter in November last year, encouraging Catholics to participate in the election and even monitor the entire process.
"Participation in regional election is our call and mission as people of faith, to realize a common good," he said.
Catholics can change society by voting for leaders who understand religious values, take the side of poor people and who love peace and care for the environment, he said.
The priest also reminded people not to vote for candidates who are narrow-minded, primordial and corrupt, and who use illegal means to get power.