By: Muhammad Zaki) *
A number of parties rejected the 212 Reunion plan because it was considered to be carrying a political agenda. That is because Prabowo Subianto did not invite him to join the Government ranks.
The Alumni Brotherhood (PA) 212 is certainly hurt after being left by Prabowo. They then took Anies Baswedan and removed Prabowo from the guest list of invited guests for the reunion 212, as a form of revenge. Not only has it deviated from the initial purpose of the activity carried out, but it has changed its direction to political content that is considered tempting. For a number of parties the political world is a soft land to promote themselves in government.
Various assumptions then rolled on, whether the stage would be set up by a group that always held events to coincide with religious holidays. Demonstrating self-existence despite the controversy, or selling politics in the name of public welfare. As we know, this group is so allergic to the Jokowi government. They are like sharp pebbles that are ready to head off governmental steps. Not once or twice, but in many cases these organizations deliberately rolled out a number of opinions to overthrow the President’s power at that time.
The news spread that PA 212 will return to hold a grand reunion at the National Monument (Monas), more crowded when the name HRS (Habib Rizieq Shihab) lined up to be a speaker at this event. According to a number of reports, the reunion to be carried out is called a form of brotherhood for the alumni of previous 212 actions.
Not 212 names if it does not reap the pros and cons. This grand reunion plan spawned a variety of opinions by many parties. One of them is the Minister of Political Law and Security (Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security), Mahfud MD, who will invite a reunion to take place on 2 December.
However, on the other hand, many parties feel doubt about this action. Many people considered that the reunion to be held would actually lead to social and political upheaval in Indonesia, whose condition had begun to subside after the Presidential Election. Many people questioned the relevance of the 212 movement. This was reflected when Prabowo Subianto, a former presidential candidate who was promoted by this mass organization, chose to move to the Jokowi government camp.
So to treat this disappointment there is another name that will be promoted. Namely, the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, and lined up to be the main political figure in the activity. Spokesman PA 212, Novel Bamukmin expressly even required this name to be present at the upcoming 212 action.
Starting from the case of blasphemy against the former Governor of DKI, Ahok in 2017 which then resulted in the birth of the 212. movement. The massive movement led by a number of Islamic mass organizations was finally able to overthrow Ahok with the issuance of the Ahok court verdict as a convict.
Group 212 is a social movement that arises due to the collective challenge of various Islamic groups. It does not only stop at the Ahok case, but also extends to the threat of Islamic identity. So, it is not surprising, if the various narratives that are rolled out are about narratives about inequality, oppression of Islam to anti-government issues.
The strong political stamp in this movement is not without reason. Because, in every action carried out, this movement is always driven and ridden by various parties and interest groups. This movement clearly stated its support for Prabowo-Sandi and his coalition party. However, Prabowo’s defeat was not the end of this mass organization’s journey.
The reunion entitled “Munajat for State Safety: Maulid Agung and Alumni Reunion 212” to be held certainly led to various speculations. One of them is the existence of political desires that are considered not conveyed from this group. In addition, the 212 reunion event has great potential to be used by various groups who are disappointed with the results of the presidential election and the ongoing reconciliation. It could be that this activity will foster a narrative to “undermine” the new government again. This is based on the adoption of Ijtima Ulama IV which directs the rejection of the new government system.
Apart from the polemic of the 212 reunion event, the public was asked to cleverly respond to all forms of activities that could potentially cause political upheaval. So that it will avoid the various possibilities of using the masses as part of the existence of this group.
) * The author is a social political observer
