Jakarta — The recent wave of demonstrations marked by anarchic actions, destruction of public facilities, and looting has raised concerns from various groups. Religious leaders and academics agree that the people’s aspirations must be expressed peacefully, not through destructive means that harm the wider community.
The Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), KH. Marsudi Syuhud, emphasized that according to religious teachings, criticizing the government is part of being a nation and state, but it must be done with patience.
“We may express our rights, but vandalism and looting clearly violate the law, both religious and positive law. Therefore, when expressing any opinion, we must be patient,” said Marsudi.
He added that patience includes obedience to the law, refraining from prohibitions, and protecting life and property.
“Prioritize protecting lives and property, whether public or government property, and public facilities. Everything must be protected,” he said.
Marsudi also appreciated President Prabowo Subianto’s swift action to engage various parties to defuse the situation.
“We appreciate the gathering of leaders from all religions at the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). We commend President Prabowo Subianto for his swift response to the current political issues. We gathered 16 organizations, including leaders from all religions and religious organizations. This is truly something that other countries lack, but Indonesia has a social organization that can balance this and communicate it to the public,” he explained.
According to Marsudi, a nation facing major challenges must not be divided by anarchic actions.
“This nation needs peace; building this nation requires comfort. Whatever you say, you must obey the law, because the foundation of being a nation and a state is obeying the law,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Political Communication Expert from the University of Indonesia, Dr. Aditya Perdana, believes that demonstrations are a constitutional right, but there are still limits.
“When the method is destructive and anarchic, it certainly has undesirable consequences, including damage to public facilities, which ultimately makes it difficult for the public because they cannot enjoy public facilities,” he said.
Aditya also assessed that the President’s swift move to gather religious figures, political parties, and community organizations was the right move.
“The President’s swift response was the right thing to do, as this must be handled very seriously and with swift action. If the situation escalates further and spreads further, it will be very difficult to manage,” he explained.
According to Aditya, anarchic actions only create distrust in society and open up space for provocation.
“This anarchy is due to excessive activity. On the other hand, people will assume there’s a specific motive, but we must understand that this is unacceptable. We don’t want to escalate the situation and ultimately lead to distrust in society,” he concluded.
