Indra Budiari, Jakarta – A speech delivered by Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in Jakarta's Thousand Islands regency, which some people have called blasphemous, did not trigger even a spark of protest from fishermen and local residents listening to it, a witness told the court on Tuesday.
Zaenuddin, who witnessed the speech with other fishermen in September last year, said that "everything was normal" when Ahok said Thousand Islands residents should not be deceived by people using Surah al-Maidah Verse 51 of the Quran to deter them from choosing a non-Muslim leader.
Presented as a witness by the prosecution team, he did say, however, that after watching video footage of the speech presented by police, he thought Ahok needed to apologize to Muslims for "disturbing their feelings".
"No one objected or protested during or after the speech, but still I think he needs to apologize," Zaenuddin said.
Ahok in October last year apologized "to Muslims or other people who felt offended" by his statement.
Zaenuddin told the panel of judges that he was a Muslim and did not know that al-Maidah Verse 51 was part of the Quran until he saw it on the news. "I haven't reached khatam [the final part] in reading the Quran, but I feel offended after hearing that he quoted it," he continued.
Two fishermen who had witnessed the speech were summoned to the court on Tuesday to testify in the blasphemy trial against the governor as witnesses for the prosecution team. Ahok faces up to five years of imprisonment if he is proven guilty as charged.