- Title: Islamic groups in Indonesia help the poor, gain political leverage
- Date: 29th November 2016
- Summary: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 18, 2016) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS PROFANE LANGUAGE **** TENTS PITCH ON RUBBLE THAT USED TO BE SLUM AREA PEOPLE WALKING IN TENT ANTI-PURNAMA BANNER HANGING ON MAKESHIFT HOUSE READING (Bahasa Indonesia): "FIGHT AHOK" ASMIYATI'S STALL NEXT TO THE HOUSE WITH "FIGHT AHOK" BANNER VARIOUS OF ASMIYATI SELLING FOOD IN HER STALL (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) RESIDENT OF AQUARIUM VILLAGE, ASMAYATI SAYING: "There were a lot of them who came especially after the eviction." VARIOUS OF VILLAGE RESIDENT IKA CARRYING SON (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) RESIDENT OF AQUARIUM VILLAGE, IKA SAYING: "Oh my God, we have no idea what will happen if he's re-elected as governor, maybe it will be very destructive, there could be more evictions, we are in trouble. Where should people like us live? It's not only rich people who can live in Jakarta right?" CONSTRUCTION WORKER WALKING PAST A MAN FIXING FISHING BOAT MAN FIXING FISHING BOAT TENT WHERE SIX FAMILIES ARE LIVING PILLOWS AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS ON AN ELEVATED PLATFORM UNDER THE TENT SLOGAN AGAINST JAKARTA GOVERNOR, BASUKI TJAHAJA PURNAMA, ON FENCE READING (Bahasa Indonesia): "NOT FRIEND OF AHOK" ANTI-PURNAMA SLOGAN ON FENCE READING (Bahasa Indonesia): "FUCK AHOK" JAKARTA, INDONESIA (NOVEMBER 26, 2016) (REUTERS) MOSQUE IN SOUTHERN JAKARTA BANNER READING (Bahasa Indonesia) "JAILED AHOK" INSIDE OF MOSQUE VARIOUS OF HEAD OF FPI (ISLAMIC DEFENDERS FRONT) FOR JAKARTA CHAPTER, NOVEL CHAIDIR BAMUKMIN, GIVING A SPEECH FOLLOWERS WEARING WHITE JACKETS (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) HEAD OF FPI (ISLAMIC DEFENDERS FRONT) JAKARTA CHAPTER, NOVEL CHAIDIR BAMUKMIN SAYING: "We gave our donation when the relocation happened, we sympathize with them when they were evicted and we helped them set up temporary shelters, set up a soup kitchen, gave first-aid treatment -- that's all standard procedure. We did that for months until they could stand on their own feet," JAKARTA, INDONESIA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 18, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BANNER BEARING PHOTOS OF JAKARTA GOVERNOR 2017 ELECTION CANDIDATES, ANIES BASWEDAN (ON THE LEFT) AND HIS RUNNING MATE, SANDIAGA UNO VARIOUS OF BANNER BEARING PHOTOS OF JAKARTA GOVERNOR 2017 ELECTION CANDIDATES, AGUS HARIMURTI (ON THE LEFT) AND HIS RUNNING MATE, SYLVIANA MURNI JAKARTA, INDONESIA (RECENT-NOVEMBER 4, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE RALLYING AGAINST PURNAMA PROTESTERS HOLDING PLACARD WITH PURNAMA'S PHOTO AND READING (English): "WANTED BASUKI T. PURNAMA FOR HARMING INDONESIA'S UNITY AND HARMONY" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERED AS POLICE FIRE TEAR GAS AT THEM JAKARTA, INDONESIA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 21, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS RESEARCHER OF CENTRE FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (CSIS), TOBIAS BASUKI SITTING DOWN (SOUNDBITE) (English) CSIS RESEARCHER FOR POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, TOBIAS BASUKI SAYING: "This religious sentiment is something that is in the making. Indonesians, after (19)98, are redefining what it means to have a new political Islam, but the majority moderates do not have specific views and it is these political actors that are continue shaping and defining what is right and wrong for their political motives." JAKARTA, INDONESIA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 19, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE RALLY AGAINST RELIGION INTOLERANCE MARCHING WITH AN INDONESIAN FLAG DIPA KOMALA (HOLDING A WHITE PLACARD SHOWING INDONESIAN MAP) TAKING PHOTO WITH OTHERS WHO RALLY AGAINST RELIGION INTOLERANCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JAKARTA RESIDENT, DIPA KOMALA SAYING: "Because they are jealous, because Ahok is a very clean man, Ahok stops corruption, Ahok does very good things for the city that all the crooks have no chance to steal money away from the government." JAKARTA, INDONESIA (RECENT - NOVEMBER 16, 2016) (REUTERS) PURNAMA WALKING TO NEWS CONFERENCE PURNAMA TALKING TO MEDIA
- Embargoed: 14th December 2016 09:06
- Keywords: Indonesia Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama blasphemy protest rally politics
- Location: No-Data-Available
- City: No-Data-Available
- Country: Indonesia
- Reuters ID: LVA0015AMWEO5
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: When bulldozers flattened hundreds of houses in Aquarium village, a slum area home to over 300 people in Indonesian capital Jakarta, residents didn't know what to do.
Muslim groups came to their rescue, distributing tents, instant noodles, clothes and money to help tide them over.
"There are a lot of them who came especially after the eviction," said snacks and drinks vendor, Asmayati, who like many Indonesians go by one name.
Thanks to these charities, Asmayati and her family have a roof over their heads.
The evictions carried out by Jakarta's governor is part of Basuki Tjahaha Purnama, or 'Ahok's drive to shake up the capital's bureaucracy and push through controversial reforms. They are also intended to alleviate flooding, as the slum is near a river that often overflows.
But the slum residents say they can't afford the rent at public housing facilities offered to them by the city on the other side of town and besides, and many work at the old Sunda Kelapa port near the slum.
They only earn about $5 U.S. dollars a day, but finding new jobs across town would also be difficult and many are hunkering down in their tents amid growing resentment towards the governor.
Muslim groups say their charity is just an act of helping those who need it but shy away from openly associating it with politics.
"We gave our donation when relocation happened, we sympathize with them when they were evicted and we helped them make temporary shelters, set up a soup kitchen, gave first-aid treatment -- that's all standard procedure. We did that for months until they could stand on their own feet," said head of FPI (Islamic Defenders Front) Jakarta chapter, Novel Chaidir Bamukmin.
But the aid has put Muslim candidates who oppose the governor, a Protestant and ethnic Chinese, in a favourable light in Muslim-majority communities with poor infrastructure.
The communities have also provided support for huge anti-Purnama demonstrations organized by hardline Islamist groups after the governor known for his abrasive language and tough mannerisms became a suspect in an investigation into blasphemy allegations brought against him by Muslim groups.
Purnama has denied blasphemy but apologized for comments he made during a speech in September where he said opponents had deceived voters by attacking him using a verse from the Koran. An edited version of the speech went viral online where Purnama appeared to be criticizing the Koran rather than his rivals.
The hardline Islamist groups brought 100,000 Muslims out onto the streets earlier in the month to demand his resignation and urge people not to vote for him. It was the biggest demonstration the capital had seen in recent years. One person died and over 100 were injured when the protest turned violent.
But the show of support for hardline groups, political watchers say, is not necessarily a sign of a rise in religious intolerance and geared more towards political leverage.
"Majority moderates do not have specific views and it is these political actors that are continue shaping and defining what is right and wrong for their political motives, " said Tobiaz Basuki of Centre for Strateic and International Studies.
An opinion poll published in mid-November showed support for Purnama had dropped to 25 percent from 60 percent in March. But he remains ahead of his rivals and around a third of voters remain undecided.
After the big anti-Purnama rally, over 2,000 people took to the street of Jakarta on Saturday (November 19) to "celebrate Indonesia's diversity".
"Because they are jealous, because Ahok is a very clean, Ahok stops corruption, Ahok does a very good thing to the city that all the crooks have no chance to steal money away from the government," said rally participant Dipa Komala.
President Joko Widodo, seen as a key ally of Purnama's, has scrambled to keep a handle on security and battled criticism from rights activists and his own supporters for allowing hardline Islamists to strong-arm the government. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
