rhino wrote on Dec 8
th, 2020 at 12:35pm:
you dont even know that the Indonesian vice President is a radical Islamist? Like I said, check your facts Champ, the Indonesians voted in a radical Islam agenda. Thats does not make them secular. How about learning some basics first before you argue eh?
Rhino, I feel like you are lashing out hysterically because you know you've been caught out not knowing the basic facts yourself. Like what the PDI-P party actually stands for.
read the jakarta post article yet?
Yes Jokowi chose a cleric with relatively conservative views on social issues as his running mate. But 'radical'? That is of course entirely subjective. In today's vanacular, 'radical' in relation to Islam is usually reserved for those who support violence. Yet he has actually been outspoken against violence, and emphasises the importance of constructive dialogue to settle differences.
Its hardly the point though. Like I said, there was nothing like an Islamist agenda being promoted by any of the major parties during the campaign - least of all by PDI-P. If you asked most PDI-P voters they would probably tell you they would prefer not to have a conservative cleric as Jokowi's running mate - though they still voted for him in spite of that. Logic tells us that the vast majority of these voters voted for the party's secular platform and policies, not some 'radical' Islamist agenda that wasn't even raised during the campaign. As the jakarta post article explains, its likely Jokowi misread the mood, erroneously thinking that the loud and violent protests that toppled Jakarta governor Ahok was a sign of bigger things to come - and hence why he chose Ma'ruf. In reality, there is little reason to think that Ma'ruf helped him pick up many, if any, extra votes.
Of course thats not to say Indonesia has not seen a surge of Islamism - it undoubtedly has. Yet starting from such a low base, it has a hell of a long way to go before Indonesian society stops being overwhelmingly secular.