Former Vice Presidents of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla (JK), has finally\nspoken out regarding allegations of religious blasphemy levelled against\nhim by various groups concerning a lecture at UGM Mosque on 5 March\n2026.<\/p>\n
According to JK, those who reported him for blasphemy or religious\nharassment are relying solely on video clips accompanied by inaccurate\nnarratives related to his lecture, which reviewed the Poso and Ambon\nconflicts. He described the individuals who created the narratives and\nfiled the police report as defaming him.<\/p>\n
To journalists gathered at his home in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta,\non Saturday (18\/4), JK also showed recordings of clips from the Poso and\nAmbon conflicts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the atmosphere, which was not covered by the media [not\nreported by mass media] and was even more brutal. Even worse,\u201d said\nJK.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who are defaming me, have they ever been there [in the midst\nof the Poso and Ambon conflicts]? I was there. Hamid [former Minister of\nLaw and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin] was there, Uceng [JK\u2019s\nspokesperson Husain Abdullah] as a journalist at the time went to see\nit,\u201d he added in a firm tone.<\/p>\n
Hamid and Husain accompanied JK during the press conference.<\/p>\n
According to JK, the conflict situations in Poso (Central Sulawesi)\nand Ambon (Maluku) in the late 1990s and early 2000s were more brutal\nthan the G30S\/PKI incident. The conflicts, which began between residents\nin each area, later developed into ones with religious overtones, or\nSARA (ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group relations).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe three entered there [conflict areas like Poso and Ambon] to calm\nthings down. Does Ade Armando dare to go there? Does Ade Darmawan dare?\u201d\nhe added.<\/p>\n
CNNIndonesia.com has not yet received official statements from the\nparties mentioned by JK regarding Poso and Ambon.<\/p>\n
Previously, the Executive Board of the Indonesian Christian Youth\nMovement (GAMKI) along with several organisations reported JK to the\npolice.<\/p>\n
GAMKI General Chairman Sahat Sinurat stated that JK\u2019s remarks were\ndeemed to offend Christian teachings and caused a stir in the lecture at\nUGM Mosque discussing the Poso and Ambon conflicts. He emphasised that\nChristian teachings never justify killing as a path to heaven.<\/p>\n
Additionally, on 14 April, a similar report emerged from North\nSumatra. Several organisations under the North Sumatra Civil Society\nAlliance also reported JK to the North Sumatra Police Headquarters with\nallegations of blaspheming religious teachings.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai encouraged resolving\nthe polemic through dialogue, not legal channels.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Human Rights Minister, I do not agree with the police report\nagainst Mr JK. I firmly reject it. To be honest, there is no benefit to\nit either,\u201d said Pigai, as quoted by Antara on Wednesday (15\/4).<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the National Anti-Provocateur Presidium will report those\nwho spread clips of JK\u2019s lecture video with allegedly defamatory\nnarratives related to Poso and Ambon.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, regarding the content of the discussion earlier that\nstarted spreading it. Spreading the issues, we will report it as soon as\npossible,\u201d said the National Anti-Provocateur Presidium\u2019s Advocate Team,\nEmil Harris, to journalists on Friday (17\/4).<\/p>\n
Emil explained that the report concerns the dissemination of JK\u2019s\nlecture video delivered at UGM campus. The video was deliberately edited\nand spread to make it seem as if there was a legal violation in the\nlecture.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, what has been circulating is the video. So we take from\nthere, the one who started this thing,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
A presidium member, Muchtar Daeng Lau, condemned the party that\nposted the JK video clip with negative narration during the UGM\nlecture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe strongly condemn the first person to post the video of Mr JK\nduring the UGM lecture, thus causing polemic and prolonged discomfort,\u201d\nsaid Muchtar.<\/p>\n
The National Anti-Provocateur Presidium expressed support and\nappreciation to JK for his contributions and experience in maintaining\nnational unity, including resolving social-religious conflicts both\nnationally and internationally.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge restraint and avoiding one-sided framing so that the entire\nsociety and national elements are not provoked. Instead, prioritise\nobjective attitudes and understand the context fully to avoid potential\nmisunderstandings among religious communities,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
The Poso conflict in Central Sulawesi occurred around 1998-2001. The\ncommunal riots are often seen as conflicts with religious nuances.\nHowever, the root causes are said to be related to economic disparities,\nlocal political competition, and the impact of transmigration programmes\nthat changed the region\u2019s demographics.<\/p>\n
In 2001, JK, who was then Coordinating Minister for People\u2019s Welfare\nin President Megawati Soekarnoputri\u2019s cabinet, led the mediation process\nin Malino, South Sulawesi. As a Sulawesi figure, JK then succeeded in\npushing for the Malino I Declaration after gathering conflicting Islamic\nand Christian figures to agree on peace.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Ambon conflict was a communal riot that began from\nindividual disputes and quickly escalated into a religious-tinged storm\nin Maluku province around 1999 to 2002.<\/p>\n
JK, who was then Coordinating Minister for People\u2019s Welfare, gathered\nIslamic and Christian figures from Ambon for mediation in Malino. The\nresult was a peace agreement or Malino II Declaration on 12 February\n2002.<\/p>\n
In response to the buzz around JK\u2019s lecture, the UGM Campus Mosque\nYouTube channel admin conveyed a message through a pinned comment\nstarting Monday (12\/4).<\/p>\n
\u201cDear congregation, we earnestly request that you watch the video in\nfull, not just the circulating clips. Often, incomplete excerpts can\ncause misunderstandings because the context of the discussion is not\nconveyed properly,\u201d the admin wrote in the comment section.<\/p>\n
CNNIndonesia.com obtained permission from the UGM Mosque Takmir\nChairman, Muhammad Yusuf, to quote the content of that comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us be fair in assessing something, by looking at it\ncomprehensively before<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jk-finally-speaks-out-after-being-reported-to-police-for-alleged-religious-blasphemy-1776509455", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }