Charges and counter-charges threaten Indonesian democracy Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir PhD candidate at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne Rafiqa Qurrata A’yun Lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia. Indonesia at Melbourne | February 28, 2017 http://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/charges-and-counter-charges-threaten-indonesian- democracy/ In Indonesia, certain crimes need to be reported to the police for investigations to begin. The fiercely contested Jakarta gubernatorial election has given rise to a cycle of reporting and counter- reporting of such crimes to police, primarily accusations of blasphemy and defamation. The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and its opponents are now firing charges back and forth at each other. The pattern began when incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was reported to police for allegedly insulting Islam in a campaign speech he made at the Thousand Islands in September 2016. Police were reportedly conflicted over whether his comments constituted blasphemy. Mass rallies by hard-line and conservative Muslim groups put enormous pressure on them, however, and they eventually named him a suspect (equivalent to charging in common law systems). He is now on trial. FPI has long objected to Ahok leading the capital city of majority-Muslim Indonesia because he is a Christian(link is external)but he is not the only one FPI has targeted. Recent protests have also been directed at President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo for his support of Ahok, and his alleged connection to communist interests. And in January, a member of the Anti-Religious Blasphemy Alliance (and former North Jakarta FPI leader) reported former President Megawati Soekarnoputri(link is external) for a speech she delivered at the 44th anniversary celebrations of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). The FPI’s campaign against Ahok has also angered supporters of the governor, and they have not been above using the same tactics as conservative groups. In October 2016, for example, Sukmawati Soekarnoputri (Megawati’s sister, and daughter of Indonesia’s first president) reported FPI leader Rizieq Shihab to the National Police for allegedly making insulting comments about the national ideology, Pancasila. Later in the year, a group of Catholic students reported Rizieq to police for remarks they believed insulted Christianity(link is external). In January 2017, police began investigating Rizieq over comments he made suggesting that Bank Indonesia produced banknotes containing communist symbols(link is external). Most recently, Rizieq was reported for pornography after a graphic WhatsApp chat emerged apparently depicting Rizieq with treason suspect Firza Husein. Jokowi has distanced himself from the hard-line and vigilante groups and this seems to have provided police with the confidence to act against the FPI. During the presidency of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the government established relations with conservative groups(link is external), including to a certain degree with the FPI(link is external), and police did not act