Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Candidate pairs for the Aceh gubernatorial election underwent Koran recital tests in Banda Aceh on Tuesday as part of an official examination of their Islamic views.
Skills in reciting the Koran, the Muslim holy book, are compulsory not only for governor and vice governor candidates but also for regent/mayor and deputy regent/mayor candidates in Aceh since the province implemented sharia law in 2003.
"It is the third time we have carried out the Koran test for candidates since we opened registration for candidates for Aceh elections," election commissioner Akmal Abzal said on Tuesday.
The candidates undergoing the test on Tuesday were Zaini Abdulah and his running mate Muzakir Manaf, nominated by the Aceh Party, Fakhrulsyah Mega – Zulfinal and Hendra Fadli – Yuli Zuardi Rais, the last two pairs having nominated themselves as independent pairs.
The three pairs only recently registered their nominations after the Independent Election Commission (KIP) Aceh re-opened the registration period instructed by the Constitutional Court (MK) on Jan. 17. KIP had already received registration forms from four other pairs for the poll, which has been rescheduled to be held on April 9.
KIP has also received another 22 pairs for regency/municipality elections, raising the total to 138. The regional polls in a number of regencies and municipalities will be held simultaneously with the gubernatorial poll.
The heated political environment has prompted several postponements of the polls, the latest of which pushed the elections from Feb. 16 to April 9 after the MK ruled that the KIP must allow more time for other candidates to join the race. The Aceh Party, who won the last election, threatened to boycott the poll if it had not been rescheduled.
"We have seven pairs of gubernatorial candidates and 138 pairs for regent and mayor candidates," Akmal Abzal said.
KIP Aceh is coordinating with the Ulema Assembly, Religious Affairs Agency and the Koran Development Foundation in holding the Koran tests.
According to Akmal, a candidate should score at least 50 in the test to qualify for the race. During the test, which is open to public, the candidates are required to read three of 114 designated chapters in the Koran.
The test is considered to be able to scrutinize candidates' Islamic vision. "If someone is truly Muslim, it should not be difficult to read Koran," Naimah, a resident at Keutapang, Aceh Besar, said.
She said skills in reading the Koran were a must for anyone wishing to lead Aceh. Being able to read the Koran, she said, ensured the leaders could see social and political issues from an Islamic point of view.
Zaini Abdulah, the gubernatorial candidate from the Aceh Party, hailed the test saying it could show candidates' Islamic vision and mission to their constituents. "For Aceh Party, this is one of the important points in the campaign. We want the people to support us for our victory in the elections," Zaini said.
He said he believed the people already knew who they would choose as their future leaders. The people were believed to choose candidates who had good morals, which according to Zaini could be proven by their ability in reading and comprehending the Koran.
"We believe the religious Acehnese will choose us. However, we will not be overly confident about it, because win and lose are at the hands of God," he said.
The Aceh Party's previous electoral victory thrust Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf into his current office. Irwandi is seeking re-election as an independent candidate after he parted with the Aceh Party.
The party had been resisting Irwandi's nomination by calling for the issuance of new regulations, which were expected to block independent candidates. It argued that the prevalent regulations that accommodated independent candidates were not relevant given the fact that the regulations were issued when Aceh did not have local parties.