REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA --The meeting between President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Brotherhood of Alumni 212 (PA 212) representatives was not spontaneous. The activists have been longing to meet with Jokowi to discussed criminalization against ulemas and 212 rally activists.
Team member of 11 ulemas of the 212 Alumni, Usamah Hisyam who is also the head of Indonesian Muslims Brotherhood (Parmusi), said the meeting with Jokowi was discussed for the first time in the preparation meeting ahead of the return of Habib Rizieq Shihab which was scheduled on February 21. A week prior Habib Rizieq's return, they held a meeting to discuss security aspect.
"We wanted to assure his return will be orderly and welcomed," he said in a press conference in Tebet, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (Aprl 25).
According to Usamah, upon Habib Rizieq's approval, Parmusi has been trying to build communication with the Palace to set the meeting with Alumni 212. The alumni wanted to give a complete outlook on the criminalization against ulemas and 212 activist cases.
However, there has been no response from the Palace. Then, on Saturday (April 14), Usamah got a contact from the Palace asking him to come to Presidential Palace, Bogor, on Jokowi's invitation.
"On Thursday (April 19), the President received me in private at around 15:30 Western Indonesia Standard Time," Usamah said.
Jokowi asked Usamah the issues to be conveyed during the next meeting with PA 212. Usamah explained the Muslim activists were only want to build brotherhood, talked about criminalization against ulemas and clarified the miscommunications between ulemas and the government.
After the one-on-one meeting, Usamah said the president promised to review the issues with small team in advance. "On Thursday night, I was told that on Sunday (April 22), we could meet the president," he said.
On Wednesday (April 25), Jokowi acknowledged his meeting with Alumni 212. He said it was ordinary meeting as he often did.
According to head of the 11 ulemas team KH Misbahul Anam, the meeting was held in secrecy. No members of the palace's journalists witnessed the meeting. Meanwhile, mobile phones of the guests were deposited to the palace's guard.
Therefore, Misbahul deplored the photograph of the meeting leaked online. The team of 11 urged the president to investigate the incident as the meeting supposedly was not to be publicized.
"I think there might be a third party who intentionally wanted to bring into conflict between the president and ulemas and the Muslims," he said.
Misbahul blamed the state apparatuses for the leak. He said they were unable to keep the state secret. "We call on the palace to investigate the incident," he remarked.
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