REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Expert in language from University of Mataram, Mahyuni, said the defendant of the alleged religious blasphemy case, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, must have specific intent to offend surah Al Maidah verse 51 during his speech in Seribu Islands. He believed every words were conveyed based on the intention. "It's impossible to utter something without any intention," he remarked when testifying in the trial at the auditorium of the Ministry of Agriculture, Jakarta, Monday.
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According to Mahyuni, someone must have thought the words before it was spoken. Mahyuni reiterated that Ahok statement saying "deceived" or "fooled" contained negative meaning. "I believe so and I'm an expert in language," Mahyuni said as expert witness presented by the prosecutor.
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To the judges, Mahyuni said he was surprised by the topic of Ahok's speech in front of peoples who attended the socialization of groupers aquaculture. He said that Ahok has changed the topic. "The topic of speech was changed into the direction of a campaign," he said.