Minority groups in Indonesia have thrown their support to Jokowi, believing that the Jakarta governor could ease religious tensions in the predominantly Muslim country.
Source/Credit: Ecumenical News
By Miko Morelos | July 10 2014
The outcome of the Indonesian presidential election is seemingly too close to call.
But minority groups in Indonesia have something to cheer about after quick count results of an independent pollster revealed that Jakarta governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is edging closer to victory.
Polling Thursday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies-Cyrus Network has Jokowi leading the presidential race with 51.9 percent of the votes.
His rival, former military general Prabowo Subianto, trailed closely with 48.1 percent, ucanews.com reported.
With the elections far from over as indicated by the slim margin, Jokowi asked for vigilance as ballots continued to be canvassed.
"It's time for us to monitor the recapitulation of the vote so that everything runs clearly and honestly. There should be no intervention," Jokowi said at a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.
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An estimated 140 million voters trooped to polling centers across the world's largest archipelago to elect a new president.
Minority groups in Indonesia have thrown their support to Jokowi, believing that the Jakarta governor could ease religious tensions in the predominantly Muslim country.
"His victory gives us hope in our struggle – a chance to enjoy the freedom of religion," said Jalaludin Rakhmat, a Shia Muslim, in an interview with ucanews.com.
The Rev. Palti Panjaitan, a pastor at the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) Filadelfia in Bekasi, West Java, said he saw in Jokowi's track record his capability to address religious intolerance which is prevalent in Indonesia.
"It makes us say that he can bring a change in the issue. The problem so far is that our president doesn't have a clear commitment.
"Indeed, our president said many times that he respected freedom of religion but failed to take concrete actions to address the issue," said Panjaitan.
Firdaus Mubarik, a spokesman for the minority Indonesian Ahmadiyya Congregation, said the tight regulation on their freedom to worship has caused resentment in the Ahmadiya community.
"Our mosques were closed down and attacked. Our religious activities were dismissed. These cases happened for years but no strict actions were taken by the government," he said.
In June, authorities in Ciamis, West Java closed down a Ahmadiya mosque, citing a joint ministerial decree.
"We hope that Jokowi can handle such a situation. What we want is a president who upholds the diversity. Jokowi has shown it to us, with his words and actions," stated Mubarik.
Read original post here: Indonesia's Jokowi calls for vigilant eye on poll too close to call
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