Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Democracy activists have lambasted the Jakarta's election authorities over their inaction in the face of the rampant use of religious and ethnic slurs ahead of next month's Jakarta gubernatorial election.
Ray Rangkuti, director of the Indonesian Civic Network (LIMA), expressed concern over the wide and blatant use of the tactics, saying they pose a threat to the nation's democracy and unity.
"This is all happening because there have been condonation. [Panwaslu, the Jakarta Elections Supervisory Committee] is too busy defining and exploring each event from a non-partisan perspective in the name of fair election. But there is little effort unravel who is behind these SARA issues," Ray said on Saturday.
SARA refers to divisive issues and exploitation of ethnic, religious and social backgrounds.
Ray noted that intimidation based on SARA has been on the rise since July 11, when Joko Widodo and Basuki Tjahaja Purnomo bagged 43 percent of the vote against incumbent Fauzi Bowo and Nachrowi Ramli, who won 34 percent. The pairings face a runoff ballot on Sept. 20.
The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD), he added, is caught up in the technical aspects of the election without looking at what he said was a more pressing problem.
"The election could be meaningless, because in this circumstance, it is those with muscles who will prevail. They, in name of democracy, will do anything using their muscles. Democracy is being hijacked by thugs," he said.
Political observer Gun Gun Haryanto said that recent developments have shown that the use of SARA has turned from propaganda to intimidation.
Gun Gun is concerned about a YouTube video that claimed a repeat of the racially-charged violence that swept the capital in 1998 could reoccur if Jakarta were to elect officials from certain ethnic minorities. The Chinese were a major target during the 1998 riots, which prompted the resignation of then-President Suharto.
The video targets Joko's running mate Basuki, a Christian of Chinese descent, who has been the prey of smear campaigns using ethnic and religious slurs.
National Coordinating Minister for Security and Legal Affairs Djoko Suyanto urged people not to be provoked by the two-minute video, which has been removed by YouTube. Several clerics have also called on Muslims to "vote only for Muslim leaders," a direct attack, analysts say, on Basuki.
Despite the ethnic campaigning being unambiguously captured on video, both Panwaslu and the KPUD have not imposed any sanction or put an end to these sermons.
The simmering tensions between political elites, Gun Gun said, could pave the way for conflict between different social and ethnic groups. "One of the consequences of these candidates' strategies is friction among supporters. Starting with the 'soft' friction to the 'hard' friction," he said.
Gun Gun pointed to a recent incident involving Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Rieke Diah Pitaloka, when she visited the victims of a devastating fire in Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta.
Rieke, whose party supports Joko this election, was abruptly evicted by members of Muslim hard-line groups. "This is what is called 'fear arousal' tactics, spreading fear to the opponent's elite circle so they cannot penetrate to voters' stronghold," Gun Gun said.