The 212 Reunion: A Religious Gathering or Political Agenda?

Tuesday, 8 January 2019

Column

M. Arief Rajendra

Jakarta – 212 was an act conducted by the Islam majority across Jakarta as well as other parts of the country on 2 December 2016, in an attempt to protest against Basuki Tjahaja Poernama’s blasphemy towards the Islamic community in his speech against Surah Al-Maidah 51. This was a major milestone in the Islam community of Jakarta because it served the purpose of reminding the masses on the Islamic perspective on the governor’s election in 2017. With the presidential election incoming in April 2019, the Islam majority has decided to reunite in the front of the National Monument (Monas) and in even greater numbers, with 8-10 million people present on that day.

Why the Reunion?

According to Habib Rizieq, the Imam of FPI, the reason for this act is to protest against the wrongdoings of the government throughout the years. This shows that there is more to the act than the nostalgia of the previous 212. Other than that, this activity also increased the unity and solidarity among the Muslim community, with people from the different islands of Indonesia coming to Jakarta to participate in the event.

This act also attempts to reinforce the notion that Islam is a peaceful religion and does not harm others. This is further reinforced by Habib Rizieq’s instruction to the masses, which he stated, “do not bother non-participants, do not damage the plants, do not throw away trash irresponsibly, and do not commit any immoral behavior or acts.” Therefore, the act in itself was intended to send a message against immorality instead of pure nostalgia of the events of 212 in 2016.

The Politics in 212

While Badan Pengawas Pemilu (Bawaslu) have already stated that no presidential candidates would be allowed to campaign during the 212 Reunion, presidential candidate number 2, Prabowo Subianto, had been involved onstage. This brought some debate towards his candidacy because most of those who sided with presidential candidate number 1, Joko Widodo, believed that this was against the statement released by Bawaslu. However, it must be noted that Prabowo presence on the stage was due to invitation from the organizers and not his intention to spread his name. In fact, Prabowo explicitly stated, “I won’t talk for long, because as most of you would know, I have been given the privilege to run as a presidential candidate, and therefore I must obey the rules. So, I will not talk about politics at this moment and will not campaign.”

On the other side of the argument, although the political aspects of the elections were illegal during the event, almost every participant of the 212 Reunion made the two fingers gesture imitating the second presidential candidate’s logo, especially when cameras and drones pass by. Since I was also present during the 212 Reunion, I was also exposed to other actions that were less reported by the media. In different parts of the crowded streets, although there were multiple Islamic chants, there were also people who have silently criticized the current president, Joko Widodo. Some people went as far as stating Down with Jokowi and #2019GantiPresiden. However, a majority did not do this all at once, in order to avoid alerting the authorities. People have also criticized some news channels, such as Metro TV, due to their inherent support for Jokowi.

In summary, although the government has tried to ensure that politics did not play a role during the 212 Reunion, it is clear that the Islam majority of Indonesia have sided for the second presidential candidate, even though Prabowo did not campaign for the elections within the event.

Habib Rizieq and Habib Bahar bin Smith’s Involvement

On the stage, Habib Rizieq’s message to the crowd was fairly simple. He told the masses to elect the presidential candidates according to the itjima ulama, otherwise the decision of the Islamic scholars. He also boldly gave the solution to the downfall of Indonesia as simply changing the president in 2019. After his speech was over, he played the song titled Astaghfirullah Punya Presiden Si Raja Bohong.

As for Habib Bahar, after being detained for his speech against our President Jokowi, where he explicitly stated that the president was gay, he began to explain himself for that speech onstage. Instead of trying to justify that he was innocent, he requested that the video of his speech be left uncut. Habib Bahar also explained how during the 411 act, the scholars and the participants of that event were shot with tear gas.

According to Jokowi’s Side and Bawaslu

A representative from PDIP, Eva Kusuma Sundari, stated that the 212 Reunion was clearly an incentive for people to vote for Prabowo and Sandiaga Uno, as well as deteriorate the participants view on Jokowi and Ma’ruf and PDIP. However, according to Bawaslu Representative, Ratna Dewi Pettalolo, there was no campaign material during the 212 Reunion. She also noted that Prabowo himself stated that he would not deliver any campaign material during the Reunion in accordance with the statement released by Bawaslu.