The saga of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s alleged blasphemy against Islam and the ensuing mass protests against him have dominated the news for months and the coverage may become even more frenzied when his trial begins this Thursday at the North Jakarta District Court.
For those who have been following the timeline of Ahok’s case and know the general pace of the Indonesian legal system, the fact that his trial is already taking place this week may seem quite unusual. Ahok was only officially named a suspect by the police just over two weeks ago and his case file was handed over to state prosecutors for review just last week. That entire process often takes several months for other cases, which has led some observers to question what strings were pulled to move Ahok’s case forward so quickly.
“Although there is nothing wrong with it, the acceleration of a case like this has never happened before. It’s not usual. It cannot be avoided, the political overtones in the case of Ahok are very thick. Moreover, this is taking place on the sidelines of the the Jakarta election campaign season,” famed Jakarta lawyer Otto Hasibuan said in a press release picked up by Tempo today.
Given the huge spotlight on the case, it is not surprising to learn that it will be made open to the public and media. It might even surpass the murder trial of Jessica Wongso as Indonesia’s most watched trial of the year (and that case had already been dubbed Indonesia’s ‘trial of the century’)
Ahok seems eager for the trial to be broadcast live so that the whole nation can hear his own defense.
“Hopefully, TV will be fair as well. I also have to be covered, not just Jessica, Let the people see that I never intended to degrade any religion,” Ahok said at his campaign headquarters in Rumah Lembang, Menteng, today as quoted by Rimanews.
But we doubt Ahok will be eager to face the crowds of protesters that are likely to deluge the courthouse during his trial. National Police Chief Tito Karnavian has already predicted that the trial will be a “magnet of the masses” and said he was preparing security measures with that in mind.
Knowing how susceptible the Indonesian judiciary is to public pressure, will it be possible for Ahok to get a fair trial with a massive crowd of protesters surrounding the courthouse? As Dr Melissa Crouch, an expert in Indonesian blasphemy cases, told Indonesia at Melbourne, “Any judge who anticipates having to hear the case under such circumstances and show of force is likely to have grave concerns for their own safety.”
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