Ryan Dagur, Jakarta Indonesia July 9, 2014

Papuan tribespeople wearing traditional dress cast their ballots in Jayapura on Wednesday (AFP Photo/Liva Lazore)

In June, Amnesty International (AI) issued a statement urging President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to release Shia religious leader Tajul Muluk, who was sent to jail for blasphemy. According to AI, Muluk is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Rakhmat believed that Jokowi will have no challenges in dealing with problems faced by religious minority groups. “At least, he doesn’t have any moral burden if he wants to take strict action against intolerant groups that in the past has sparked violent acts,” he said, explaining that Prabowo has attracted the support of such intolerant groups.

Jokowi on the other has faced down accusations that he is a Christian, and not Muslim as he claims, and which are believed to have weakened his lead in the build up to the elections. Reverend Palti Panjaitan, from the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) Filadelfia in Bekasi, West Java, said that Jokowi has proven his track record in addressing the issue of religious intolerance. “It makes us say that he can bring a change in the issue. The problem so far is that our president doesn’t have a clear commitment. Indeed, our president said many times that he respected freedom of religion but failed to take concrete actions to address the issue,” he said. The Batak Protestant Church was forced to close several years ago, even though local courts had permitted its functioning.

For Firdaus Mubarik, a spokesman for the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Congregation, restrictions on the freedom to worship have caused angst among the Ahmadiya community. “Our mosques were closed down and attacked. Our religious activities were dismissed. These cases happened for years but no strict actions were taken by the government,” he said. In June, a mosque belonging to followers of Ahmadiya in Ciamis district, West Java, was sealed off by local authorities who cited a joint ministerial decree for closing it. “We hope that Jokowi can handle such a situation. What we want is a president who upholds the diversity. Jokowi has shown it to us, with his words and actions,” he said. AI’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director Rupert Abbott urged the next president to undertake a thorough assessment of Indonesia’s human rights record over the last decade, in consultation with civil society and other stakeholders. “The government must repeal all laws and regulations that restrict the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as guaranteed in the Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Indonesia is a state party,” he said.

Read more at: http://www.ucanews.com/news/minorities-cheer-jokowis-indonesia-poll-lead/71376