As Jakarta governor faces trial for insulting Islam, is Indonesia about to unravel?

Indonesia’s decision on Wednesday to proceed with investigating Jakarta’s popular ethnic Chinese and Christian governor over a controversial allegation of insulting Islam could hurt nearly two decades of peace building between the country’s majority Muslims and its minorities, observers say.

Police officially named Basuki Tjahaja Purnama – commonly known as ‘Ahok’ – as a suspect following a blasphemy complaint brought against him by hardline Islamic groups in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

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The decision was made after investigators heard testimonies from dozens of witnesses and experts. The case will now go to trial and Purnama has been barred from leaving the country even as he continues a re-election campaign ahead of a vote in February. In Indonesia, being named a suspect in a criminal case signals that prosecutors have enough evidence to press formal charges.

There are concerns that the episode could unravel Indonesia’s fragile social harmony and political stability. The Southeast Asian nation of 250 million people was for decades ruled by dictator Suharto until he was ousted in a popular uprising in 1998. The events that year also involved anti-Chinese riots. The Chinese minority makes up about 10 per cent of the country’s population but wield significant economic clout.

Police name Jakarta’s ethnic Chinese governor a blasphemy suspect, order him not to leave country

“This case will increase political tensions for years to come,” said Marcus Mietzner, an Indonesian politics expert at the Australian National University. “The affair has laid bare how deeply racist and religious sentiments run in Indonesian society, and how easily they can be mobilised politically,” he said.