It's an interesting time to live in Indonesia. The largest Muslim country on Earth by population is undergoing a self-examination, with full knowledge that this nation is composed of vast numbers of wildly different cultures (all indigenous) and the only way to hold it together is to ensure they all are equal. In other words, just because the majority believes one thing doesn't mean every must, and the minority must be protected. In other words, a republican form of social order.
Indonesia shares a lot of political philosophy with the founding ideals of the United States. The national motto is Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which is the Jawa Halus version of E Pluribus Unam. If you don't read Javanese or Latin, it translates as "Unity in Diversity." The Pancasila, or "Five Points," constitute the national ideals. They can be summed up as:
- One Nation under God
- Equal Protection of the Law
- Allegiance to the Flag
- The Republic for which it Stands
- Liberty and Justice for
Despite these espoused ideals, the governor of Jakarta has been on trial for "blasphemy" for the past several months, and was soundly defeated in the recent election, because he is of Chinese descent, a Christian, and dared to quote al-Qur'an while giving a talk.
What, you might rightly ask, did Ahok say about al-Qur'an that could land him in jail for the next 2 to 5 years? It must have been a terrible thing to be called blasphemy, right?
Well, basically he quoted a verse that forbids Muslims from submitting to religious oversight by "infidel" faiths. Ahok pointed out that it says nothing about politics, and that religion and politics should be separate entities. A video of the talk was edited to twist the context and quote, making it appear that Ahok had insulted al-Qur'an and used its words in a profane manner.
During the trial, the editor admitted he deliberately twisted the words, the head of the Ministry of Religion (MUI) testified that Ahok did not blaspheme, and a number of academics said that Ahok's interpretation was more or less correct.
Yet, the trial has been used by extremist groups seeking to overthrow the administration of the current president Joko Widodo (a populist) and install someone much friendlier to military authority, all in the name of battling "communism".
It's all terribly complex, so please read Peter Levenda, Joseph Farrell and Allan Nairn for perspective and context.
You are probably asking what any of this has to do with readers in the Western hemisphere. Well...
Joko Widodo and Ahok were elected together as Governor and Vice Governor of Jakarta back in 2012, as populist reformers. In fact, they were along the leading edge of the Populist Wave that eventually elected Trump and most recently ended in France (we'll see what South Korea does today). In 2014, Jokowi was elected president and Ahok took over as governor to finish out the term
Even more interesting are the connections that Donald Trump has to all this mess, and Allan Nairn's article sheds some interesting light on the subject.
No matter what happens today, all hell will likely break loose. The bought-and-paid-for protesters will not be wasted. If Ahok is convicted, he will likely get probation and the protesters will riot because he didn't go to jail. If Ahok is not convicted, they will riot because he will be seen as having OJ-Simpson-ed. Either way, the Powers That Be will get their way.
The spooky parallels and ties between the United States and Indonesia are numerous. In many ways, Indonesia is like a photographic negative of the US. Then there are the similarities with the motto, Pancasila and the eagle mascot. The rabbit hole, however, only starts there.
Stand by. Indonesia is yet another battle ground in the Globalist war on People Power, and they cannot afford to allow Indonesia - a strategically rich target - to go down the path of true independence.
The fun starts now.
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