Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sugeng Priyanto has been urging Bali residents to stay home and not travel to Jakarta to march in demos scheduled for Nov. 25 and Dec. 2.
The demos are in protest against the alleged blasphemous statements by current Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.
Priyanto hopes people from Bali all stay out of it, he said on Tuesday during a ‘friendship event’ with Muslim leaders at Bali Police headquarters.
“I received a report from intelligence, from prior events, that there were Balinese people who came to Jakarta. Hundreds of them. I hope there are not masses mobilizing for going to Jakarta again,” Merdeka quoted Priyanto as saying.
According to the police chief, there’s no need to conduct demos since law enforcement is being “carried out strictly and transparently.”
“If you are not happy with Ahok, do not vote for him. It’s simple. That’s it. I’m also Muslim, so if not happy with him, don’t give him your vote.”
The Bali chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Taufik As’adi, backed up Priyanto’s advice to disgruntled Bali residents.
While Bali has no authority to stop Muslims from taking to the streets of Jakarta, MUI encourages they instead pray in mosques on the island, for the proceedings against blasphemy to be done quickly, decisively, and transparently, As’adi said.
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