Big Blubber Walks Free – But is Irama’s Embrace the Kiss of Death?

Big news yesterday in the Jakarta Post is that Rhoma Irama has been found not guilty by the Election Commission.

So all you rabid clerics out there, who are no doubt keen readers of RRA, are now free to tell your faithful parishioners that none of them dare vote for a gubernatorial candidate whose mother is said to be Christian.

And you can correct those whose understanding of the pluralist principles of the Pancasila Constitution of 1945 is so screwed up that they imagine they’re free to vote for anyone, irrespective of where the candidate worships God.

=

Unity in Diversity  –  Indonesia’s Motto

=

Last month, in a sermon at a mosque in West Jakarta, Rhoma warned Muslims in Jakarta about the dangers of electing Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, whose mother he labelled a Christian, and Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, a Chinese-Indonesian and a Christian, in the Sept. 20 Jakarta gubernatorial run off.
Rhoma then pointed out that Fauzi was a Muslim and of heritage Betawi — Jakarta’s native ethnic group. The singer went on to point out that Fauzi’s running mate, Nachrowi Ramli, shared a similar profile.

.

Nothing dirty or sectarian about that, obviously. It’s clearly fair play to drag a candidate’s mother’s religion into a campaign.

=

• 

Pathetic Irama blubbing in public

=

As the JP report noted, however, this may be no bad thing.

The last time Cry-Baby turned his verbal guns on somebody, his target, the dangdut singer Inul Daratista, his silver bullets ricocheted and Inul’s never looked back!

She’s a big star, loads of fans, and will be shimmying her distinctive sway when Irama is in a bath-chair

(he’d already be drawing his old age pension, were he a Brit!).

=

Inul

=

Maybe the Big Blubber’s approval is the kiss of death?

–

There are of course plenty of primitives in Jakarta, as we see each time the FPI holds a demo, but I still tend to believe that there are millions of decent people who reject the backward bigot thinking exemplifed by Rhoma Irama.

What kind of sensible citizen would pay heed to a carping crooner obsessed with denying religious liberty to a harmless minority like the Ahmadiyah?

–

And even the more devout Muslims must see the sheer stupidity of voting on the basis of who attends which house of worship.

In his previous political constituency,  Jowoki’s Ahok, a genial, capable and energetic man, won elections despite a huge majority of the voters being Muslim.

=

–

Jowoki and Ahok – they even dress like normal guys!

–

And was Jowoki’s mum a Christian? I dont’ know, nor care. And I suspect precious few Jakartans care either.