REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Brotherhood of 212 Alumni revealed the meeting with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java on Sunday (April 22) was held to follow up some issues. Both parties did not talk about politics.

The 212 Alumni acknowleged some issues have made them not in line with the government. "Currently there are problems happened in Indonesia and we must face it together, so the meeting discussed about it and we also had brainstorming," said Alumni 212 spokesperson, Novel Bamukmin in a press conference in Tebet, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (April 25).

Novel said a number of national issues were discussed during the meeting held over lunch. The meeting was attended by five of Alumni 212 members. He said it was an effort to build communication with government.

In addition, Novel said the meeting was a continuation of a visit of National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Council of Ulemas' Fatwa (GNPF MUI, now GNFP Ulama) to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Eid al-Fitr last year. The context was also to address national issues.

"We need to follow up some issues," he said.

President Joko Widodo (third right) receives leaders of National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Council of Ulemas' Fatwa (GNPF MUI) at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Sunday, June 25, 2017.

According to chairman of National Movement to Safeguard Ulemas' Fatwa (GNPF Ulama) who is also one of members of team 11 of Alumni 212, Yusuf Muhammad Martak the discussion focused on injustice faced by ulemas and activists strangled with cases that they believed as a form of criminalization.

Yusuf said Jokowi has promised GNPF MUI to give instruction to follow up the cases of ulemas. However, nine months have passed and the cases have not been solved.

"Our discussion focused on injustice, criminalization against ulemas and Muslims figures," Yusuf said.

No agreement

Nevertheless, no agreement achieved in the meeting. Yusuf said the team of 11 ulemas of Alumni 212 did not give specific deadline for Jokowi to solve the criminalization against ulemas cases. However, he hoped the problem could be solved immediately and not creating more victims.

Meanwhile, Jokowi admitted to have met with Alumni 212 at Presidential Palace mosque in Bogor on Sunday (April 22). He said the meeting was a common thing.

Jokowi claimed that he often met with a number of ulemas, in Jakarta, Bogor, and during his working visits to a number of regions in Indonesia. His spirit in the meeting is to establish friendship with Islamic religious figures in all provinces in the country.

Through the meeting, Jokowi expected the government and religious figures can establish relationship in the framework of brotherhood (ukhuwah) and unity on all sides. It was an effort to solve many problems in Indonesia.

"We hope, together we can solve many problems in society and ummah," said Jokowi.

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