Muslim leaders deliver speeches to thousands of Indonesian Muslims to protest against Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, outside his office in Jakarta on Oct. 14. Thousands of Muslim hardliners protested in Jakarta demanding the Indonesian capital's Christian governor be executed for allegedly insulting Islam, as he faces an increasingly tight election race. (Photo by AFP)
Religious leaders, including the Indonesian Catholic bishops, have expressed concern about the political use of religious and racial sentiments ahead of regional elections scheduled for Feb. 15 next year.
The bishops' conference has reminded Catholics of their responsibility to help prevent violence during the upcoming election season.
"We need to think about how Catholics in their own regions can contribute in a concrete way to peaceful and harmonious elections," Father Yohanes Rasul Edy Purwanto, executive secretary of the bishops' conference, told ucanews.com.
"We hope that sporadic violence will not emerge. It is easy for violence to become widespread, particularly when it has religious and racial connotations."
Father Purwanto said the bishops' conference would issue a pastoral letter on the elections following its synod in November. "Each diocese can go ahead and issue a similar letter. As a national entity, however, the bishops' conference cannot stay silent," he said.
A moral message
Father Purwanto delivered his remarks after participating in a meeting of religious leaders on Oct. 17 in Jakarta. Din Syamsuddin, Inter-Religious Council (IRC) president, and Suhadi Sendjaja, chair of the Indonesian Buddhist Council, also attended the meeting that was coordinated by the IRC.
In a six-point message issued afterwards, the leaders expressed concern about threats to religious harmony.
"All parties must refrain from saying and doing things that can create divisions within a plural society — particularly things related to sensitive issues like religion and race," they said.
Syamsuddin urged candidates and their campaign teams to be sensitive to people's religious beliefs. "We hope none of the (candidates) will interfere with other people's beliefs. This would touch a sensitive area and cause a (public) reaction," he said, as quoted by The Jakarta Post.
Sendjaja from the Indonesian Buddhist Council said, "It is not wrong to choose a candidate from one's own religion and race. However, if there is a candidate who doesn't come from the same religion, but he or she is qualified, why not vote for them?"
Democracy and integrity
Prior to the meeting, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin met Father Purwanto, Sendjaja and other religious leaders on Oct. 14 to discuss the elections.
During the discussion, Saifuddin explained that democracy and integrity is key to preserving harmony.
"The first door is democracy, which is a test for us. Can we maintain or even promote the quality of democracy?" Saifuddin said. "The second door is a test of our integrity. During the regional elections can we face the diversity in politics in a polite and civilized way?"
Political use of religious and racial sentiments has increased in Indonesia since Muslim hard-liners accused Jakarta's Governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama of religious defamation earlier this month. On Oct. 14, more than 10, 000 Muslims rallied to demand Purnama's death.
According to the Election Monitoring Body, there is potential for conflict in Aceh, Banten and Papua provinces.
