'A Peace Rallies' on February 11 th, 2017, Should it be Done?

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mochamad Iriawan has warned that the police will disperse rallies with election-related messages held after the Jakarta gubernatorial election campaign period ends on Feb. 11. Iriawan also confirmed that major rallies were slated to be held in Jakarta on Feb. 11, 12 and 15. He called on Jakartans to "remain alert" on those days. The General Elections Commission (KPU) has declared Feb. 12 to 14 as the cooling-off period before voting day on Feb. 15.

The police said they had received a letter from the FUI informing them that around 10,000 people would hit Jakarta's streets on Feb. 11. Rallies are also expected during voting day on Feb. 15.
 Iriawan said demonstrators would begin with morning prayers at Istiqlal before moving to polling stations to monitoring voting. "Polling stations will be monitored by supervisors, witnesses, organizers, police and the Community Protection Agency [Linmas]," he said. Any form of protest that disrupted public order, such as blocking main roads, could be broken up by the police, he said.

Similarly, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar urged protestors not to raise political issues during the planned rallies. "We will not prohibit religious activities, but in terms of any political agenda, please follow the regulations issued by the KPU. Don't conduct a rally if it violates election regulations," he told journalists at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

The National Police have urged participants of an upcoming protest to maintain order and have reiterated that the police will take security measures of the event planned for Feb. 11. National Police spokesman Ir. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said the police had not yet received notification about the protest.
 
Amid growing tension over statements from Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama against a renowned Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) ulema, the council has urged the public to remain calm and refrain from staging protests. The governor made the allegedly belittling comments during his blasphemy trial.

"The MUI is obliged to convey to all Indonesian Muslims to remain calm and not be caught up in provocation. It is our shared duty to maintain peace and harmony," MUI deputy chairman Zainut Tauhid Saadi. Zainut also urged people to trust law enforcement institutions to scrutinize any possible wrongdoings.

Ahok, who is seeking reelection in the Jakarta gubernatorial race, has been in the spotlight following his remarks accusing MUI chairman Ma'ruf Amin of bias in issuing an edict on the allegations against him. Ma'ruf is also an elder from the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Ahok apologized in a written statement on Wednesday afternoon, saying he did not mean to discredit the cleric. A number of state officials, including Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, visited Ma'ruf's residence on Wednesday evening in what many believe was an attempt to reduce tensions.

The preparation of "a peace rallies" has been doing

The National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council's Fatwa (GNPF-MUI) members, including the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), the Muslim People's Forum (FUI) and other conservative groups, have announced plans for a rally on the date, which falls one day before the cooling-off period ahead of countrywide elections on Feb. 15.

Previously, thousands of members of Islamic organizations plan to join a rally in the capital on Feb. 11, ahead of the cooling off period before the regional elections.  The police have received a letter from the hard-line group Muslim Peoples Forum (FUI) informing them that around 10,000 people would be hitting Jakarta's streets. The protest will begin in the morning, with protesters marching from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta.
 
A number of Islamic groups, such as Islam Defenders Front (FPI), Muslim People's Forum (FUI) and the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council's Fatwa (GNPF-MUI) had previously announced that they would conduct rallies on Feb. 11, 12 and 15.
The protestors also plan to hold a joint prayer before the rally. Meanwhile, The General Elections Commission (KPU) has declared Feb. 12 to 14 the cooling-off period before voting day on Feb. 15.
The groups were also among the initiators that mobilized the masses during large-scale rallies in November and December last year, which demanded incumbent gubernatorial candidate Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama be prosecuted for blasphemy. Ahok is now standing trial for blasphemy.
   
Referring to some of news in social media, the preparation of a peace rallies has been doing at several districts and provinces in Indonesia. Although, the Indonesian security apparatus and Indonesian law enforcement apparatus had been warned, the protestor would be fought against them if their "a peace rallies" has been dispersed the government official. Those conditions will be vulnerable and it has a potential to be chaotic or riots rallies, if "the invisible hands" will be ridden those event to make chaotic situation so that 2017 Jakarta's Governor elections will be cancelled.
   
However, the rising tensions amid the preparation of 2017 Jakarta's governor election has been trigerred because most of pressure groups and post power syndrome figure should have manuevrd to reach their political and economic goals at simultaneous local elections in 2017. They have a great purposes to control the government through their local leader who supported them at concurrent local elections.
   
Meanwhile, some of an interest groups which have been different purpose with the groups such as FPI, GNPF-MUI and FUI has been promoted and delivered that a next coming rallies as a rallies which doesn't respect a tolerant spirit which must have built in Indonesia. The maintaining a stereotype among GNPF-MUI supporters and their opponent could have broken the spirit of Indonesia's solidarity and it could be boosted the progress of an intolerant values in Indonesia. The running of those condition could have created a spirit of radicals and a terror acts, because an intolerant values is a previously steps before it to be radicals and terror values.
   
Actually, we can build our national strengthen through an inclusive dialogues between pro and contra an interest groups which had alledgedly been ridden a current situation. I think President Jokowi should have declared that the government of Indonesia doesn't allow whoever will be damaged an Indonesian interest.

*) The writer earned his master at the University of Indonesia (UI). Researcher at Center of Risk and a Strategic Intelligence Assessment, South Jakarta.