REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The blasphemy case involving Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) as the defendant entered its final round after a number of evidences and testimonies were presented. The next agenda was indictment reading by public prosecutor on Tuesday (April 11). 

The plea was planned to be read on Monday (April 17), a day forward from the previous scheduled plan. It was rescheduled due to the second round of Jakarta gubernatorial election to be held on April 19. 

Jakarta Metro Police requested the reading of plea to be postponed. It was aimed at keeping the security and order in Jakarta before the election. Police said the postpone of Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno's examination also done for the same reaseon. "It is a common letter to prepare the election to be safe and order,” said the Spokesperson of Jakarta Metro Police Commissioner Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono to reporters. 

A professor of Criminal Law in Indonesian Islamic University (UII) Mudzakir said the request was necessary to be questioned. Moreover, the police linked it to the postponed of examination in Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno’s case. 

"Remember that the location of Ahok’s trial was transferred after police request. Police said it related to safety,” said him when contacted by Republika.co.id on Thursday (April 6). 

Mudzakir said, in other cases, police would give tight security on the verdict. It was a moment where clashes potentially happened. 

Based on law, he said, it was police institution did not have the authority to set the time and location of a trial. It was the authority of panel of judges. The letter would make a sense of injustice, as the police seemed interfering the trial. 

According to Mudzakir, there were some questions arose during the period of Jakarta gubernatorial election. There were a number of examinations to gubernatorial candidates, such as Sylviana Murni. 

He said there were two conclusions could be taken from the letter submission. First was that the request might have an impact to the trial of Ahok’s case. 

“The second, (it might have) impact to the examination of Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno. "It seemed that it was not conducted to make balance to the postpone of plea reading in Ahok’s case,” said him. 

He hoped the police would carry out its function as law enforcers and met the mandate of Indonesian law and constitution. 

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