By: Ahmad Harris *
The support of community communtias is increasing towards candidate pair number 1. In the Garut region, around 3,000 residents who are members of Victory Volunteers (Partners) Village declare an attitude to win the Jokowi-Ma’uf pair. In addition, the professional profession of pilots who are members of the Indonesian Pilot Professional Leadership (PPPI) helped add to the row of support for Jokowi and Kyai Ma’uf. In fact, recently ulama from Madura on behalf of the Kiai Kampung Madura Alliance (AKMA) also supported the number one candidate pair.
This support was stated when visiting the residence of Candidate Vice President Number 1, Ma’ruf Amin in Jakarta. The AKMA confirmed that it would oversee the full process of the 2019 Presidential Election in the Madura region in order to minimize the manipulation of vote results from irresponsible parties. In fact, the AKMA through its declarator, Subhan Effendy, also stated that it would implement Islamic economics which was carried out by Kyai Ma’ruf Amin in the economic life of Madura. The presence of the Madurese Ulema strengthens the door to the barrier of the flow of practices of identity politics especially those related to religion in the 2019 Presidential Election.
As is known, before the campaign period of the 2019 Presidential Election began, identity politics under the guise of religion was used by certain parties to obtain support from the public. One of them is the movement to defend Islam which was ridden by Prabowo-Sandiaga with the agenda of accusing President Jokowi of being an anti-Islamic figure and tyrannizing Muslims. The group that uses religion in the practice of identity politics then appoints religious leaders whose education is from the middle of nowhere to lecture in front of a crowd to spread narrative of hatred and provocation towards Jokowi. As a result, the people involved experience a shift in social norms to be provoked to follow the hate narratives that have been conveyed.
Based on the influence of the religion-based identity politics, the community camps that supported Paslon Prabowo-Sandiaga, experienced a shift in social norms. A noble cleric from NTB, Tuan Guru Bajang, was often insulted by supporters of the 02 camp for giving support to Jokowi. In fact, the TGB itself is a polite scholar and always shows a friendly attitude. Only because of differing political views, people affected by identity politics are no longer reluctant to forgive and say harshly to the TGB.
The occurrence of Tuan Guru Bajang is a bit of an impact due to the religion-based identity politics played by Prabowo-Sandiaga even though they did not admit it. Prabowo’s party seems to provide a stereotype that the party behind it is the true Islamic scholars. Meanwhile, scholars who did not support him were the wrong Islamic scholars. This condition is certainly very dangerous and can cause long-term impacts such as divisions among the people.
Fortunately, scholars such as the Kiai Kampung Madura Alliance (AKMA) began to attend the political arena of the 2019 Presidential Election. The presence of AKMA is expected to be a counter-opinion echoed by the Prabowo camp about President Jokowi as an anti-Islamic figure. AKMA can be said as proof that the identity politics raised so far are merely fabrications and fictitious. Through its presence and support, AKMA can reduce and neutralize the dirty efforts of identity politics echoed by the opposition.
If the opposition is analogous to the fire that burned Indonesia, then the AKMA must act as the water that extinguishes the fire. Through lectures at the Madura mosque, it is hoped that the AKMA can provide coolness amid the rampant hate and provocation narratives presented by the opposition. Thus, the Indonesian people can see the true and proper picture of Islam. If this can be done by the AKMA, surely the Kiai throughout Indonesia will be moved to participate in combating religion-based dirty identity politics.
*) The author is a FISIP Student at the Dharma Agung University