Hundreds of members from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) staged a rally in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) this morning. The hardline group demanded that the anti-corruption body arrest Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama for a number of corruption charges.
“Arrest Ahok immediately. The KPK should do it’s said,” said FPI leader Habib Rizieq after meeting with the KPK’s Deputy Chairman, Saut Situmorang, as quoted by JPNN.
The corruption allegations being pushed by FPI include Ahok’s supposedly corrupt involvement in a hospital land purchase scheme and the reclamation of Jakarta Bay. There has yet to be any substantive proof that the governor has done anything remotely illegal in either case.
Nonetheless. Habib loudly and angrily demanded that Ahok immediately be arrested when given time to speak inside KPK headquarters:
In addition, members of FPI effectively blockaded a huge section of Jalan Rasuna Said during their protests. Large demonstrations at the KPK often take up the slow traffic lane in front of the building, but somehow police allowed FPI members to spill out over across the entire road:
One of the FPI speakers challenged KPK deputy chairman Basaria Panjaitan to come out and meet with them.
“Where is Basaria, we will close this street over this!” said the speaker.
Police only broke up the massive group and forced them off the main street at about 1:30 pm.
As Governor Ahok gains more and more momentum and support for his independent run in 2017, we can expect his enemies to get more vicious and desperate in their attempts to get him off next year’s ballot.
Reader Interactions