Al-Maidah Tour, Must It Does?

In less than three weeks, 7 million people in the capital will have the chance to exercise their voting rights in the runoff of one of the fiercest gubernatorial elections in the city’s history. While recent elections in the capital have been largely free of conflicts, this time a large mass movement called Tamasya Al Maidah (Al-Maidah Tour) has cast lingering fear among voters, especially with hard-line group Islam Defenders Front (FPI) expected to join the movement.

Named after a verse in the Quran that is often used by conservative Muslim political groups to urge Muslims to vote for political candidates of the same faith as themselves, the movement aims to deploy at least 100 volunteers to supervise 1,000 polling stations that they consider prone to foul play on election day on April 19.

Al-Maidah Tour initiator Farid Poniman claimed that more than 100,000 people had joined the movement and others would follow suit. Farid said such a large number of supervisors was needed because he was certain that the potential for fraud on election day was great. Furthermore, the movement aimed to attract at least 1 million people who could monitor all 13,032 polling stations in the capital.

Al-Maidah Tour also asked its volunteers to wear white attire for men and full black attire for women and recite Quranic verses and Takbir (praise to Allah) at their assigned polling stations.

Due to the name and nature of the movement, people are afraid that the Al-Maidah Tour could intimidate Muslims into not voting for incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who is a Christian of Chinese ethnicity, and vote for Anies Baswedan, who is supported by a number of conservative and radical Muslim groups, instead.

While the movement had not set out to support Ahok's rival Anies Baswedan in the election, his team often communicated with Anies about the movement so they would not overlap with each other in the field. However, Anies' team has claimed to be unaware of the AlMaidah Tour movement. However, many doubt that the Al-Maidah Tour will not raise a ruckus as the movement has strong ties to the FPI.

FPI spokesperson Slamet Maarif confirmed that his organization would take part in the Al Maidah Tour movement by deploying around 16,000 people on voting day. However, the FPI had no intention of intimidating voters, adding that its members' presence at the polling stations was simply to ensure the election went ahead without a hitch.
Meanwhile, a large number of people from outside of Jakarta participating in the movement would be accommodated by local FPI members.

Recently, Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and his rival Anies Baswedan are fighting to gain votes from lower-income Jakartans to win the second round of the gubernatorial election.

The executive director of Charta Politika, Yunarto Wijaya, said that they would focus on winning that segment because the middle-and upper-class voters have already decided who they would choose in the election.

Based on the exit poll of the first round of the election, Charta Politika found that most of Ahok's voters were educated people who had at least studied in a university.  Meanwhile, most of Anies' voters had only graduated from high school or had less education than that.  The people whose salaries were more than Rp 4 million (about US$300) were most likely to vote for Ahok and his running mate Djarot Saiful Hidayat, while the voters with incomes of less than Rp 4 million might favor Anies and Sandiaga Uno.

Separately, National Police cybercrime chief Sr. Com. Himawan Bayu Aji said hate speech became the most frequent online crime reported by citizens to the police last year. Hate speech, especially concerning race and religion, was the most frequently reported internet crime in 2016, cases include defamation, harassment, slander, provocation and threats against individuals or groups. From all the reports regarding hate speech in 2016, the police handled 199 cases. The widespread use of hate speech was aided by message applications. The police shut down social media accounts that distributed hoaxes as a response to the cases. The police would be more responsive in handling reports from citizens.

Al Maidah Tour
    
A number of Muslim organizations such as Islam Defenders Front (FPI) have claimed that their group will be done Tamasya Al Maidah or Al Maidah tour which is a political movement to support and to elect muslim governor at Jakarta's governor elections.

Essentially, Al Maidah tour has same with other previously a muslim political movement such as 212, 412 and 313 peace rally which have a common purposes is how to make muslim governor in Jakarta will be happened. However, Al Maidah tour is a part of a political support for candidates especially Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno.

Related to plan of Al Maidah tour, we have a questions must it does? Because from earlier political movement such as 313 peace rally which a number of mass participation had been decreased, and these event doesn't reflects a real of muslim power in Indonesia. Some of prominent figure from Islam Defenders Front (FPI) have a reason about the failure of 313 peace rally because before those event did, some of rally coordinator had been catched by "law enforcement apparatus" which could be effected 313 rally couldn't be effectively done. They said criminalization against uelama who supported those event had been thwarted a massive support from muslim communities.
    
I think if Al Maidah tour has non political purpose and just only as religious activities, its could be done peacefully. But, if plan of Al Maidah tour has a political motives for supporting one of Jakarta's governor candidates and spreading hate-speech or race-tribes (SARA) issues, its must be better if its cancelled.
    
I think both of Jakarta's governor candidates are a best figure. They have a capability, integrity, devoted and loyal to finish their job with a single purposes is to make people will prosper than ever. If Ahok will be win, its mean people of Jakarta want the continuity of Jakarta's development didn't stop and they're still believe in Ahok's leadership, but if Anies will be win, its mean people of Jakarta want to make a different leadership. They're want their leader is a humble man, smart and not arrogant. They want novelty. However, I sure that people of Jakarta will be ready to be a smart voters and they will be vote based on candidate's capacity and capability.

*) The writer is a Cersia's researcher.