Malang, East Java. Indonesia’s controversial Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali was reported to the police for allegedly stumping for the United Development Party (PPP) during an official visit to an Islamic boarding school in Malang — a violation of the country’s election regulations barring the use of religious institutions in political campaigns.
Suryadharma was acting in his capacity as a minister on March 17 when he welcomed the opening of new facilities at the Salafiyah Shirotil Fuquha Islamic boarding school in Sepanjang Village, Malang, East Java. But he brought along the nation’s Public Housing Minister Djan Faridz and boasted that the minister had recently joined the PPP — a small Islamic party chaired by Suryadharma that has roots in former President Suharto’s New Order as one of three approved political parties. The party currently holds some 5 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives and is a member of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s ruling coalition.
“Pak Djan has repented and has become a member of PPP,” Suryadharma reportedly said. “I hope many will also repent and join PPP.”
He also told the crowd that the PPP had donated a portion of the teaching materials before handing out the business cards of party politicians to local residents, George Da Silva, an official with the Malang chapter of the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu Malang), said on Sunday. The committee reported Suryadharma to the police for violating rules that bar the use of state facilities, houses of worship and education offices during campaigns. The Panwaslu office attempted to reach out to Suryadharma before filing the charges, but the requests were ignored, George said.
“We’ve given him the right to clarify [his statements], but he didn’t come,” he said. “[So] on Friday, we reported Suryadharma Ali to the Malang Police.”
If convicted, the religious affairs minister faces up to two years in jail.
The Malang Police are currently investigating the allegations. The local election commission handed over photographs and recordings showing the alleged violations, George said.
Suryadharma denied breaching the nation’s election law and accused the Panwaslu Malang of failing to understand the regulations themselves.
“That campaign violation is just one interpretation, which may be untrue,” Suryadharma told Indonesian news portal Tempo.co. “Sometimes Bawaslu [the national office of Panwaslu] doesn’t understand the concept of open and non-open campaigns.”
Source/Fuente: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesias-religious-affairs-ministe...
