"This is the fact. Many individuals involved in the organizing committee of this event belong to Mr. Subianto`s team set up for helping them win next year`s presidential election," Ridwan Habib stated here on Saturday.
He observed that several names, including Neno Warisman, Hasan Haikal, and M. Al Khothoth, were members of the Subianto-Uno pair`s camp. Warisman herself functions as the coordinator of the rally`s programs.
Habib further argued that the social media analytical data reveal that majority of the 212 reunion rally`s participants were the backers and loyalists of the Subianto-Uno pair.
"It was so easy to trace the reality. From the social media timeline, it was observed that those willing to attend the 212 reunion rally were supporters of Prabowo and not backers of Joko Widodo," the UI researcher noted.
Hence, it is understandable and logical that Subianto joined the rally and greeted those attending the event, which would be centered at the National Monument (Monas) Square, Central Jakarta, he added.
Habib remarked that the event is expected to run peacefully, and the police and other security personnel should be able to ensure security and prevent the event from being disrupted by any security disturbance.
The Jakarta Metropolitan Police, who are responsible for securing the event, have hinted that they have no objection regarding the convening of the 212 reunion rally. This was stipulated in a letter issued by the authorized officer at the police headquarters.
Signed by the Jakarta Metropolitan Police`s Director of Security Intelligence Service Senior Commissioner, Umar Effendi, the letter dated Nov 30, 2018, revealed that around one million people were expected to join the rally.
In the letter directed to the Indonesian national police chief and its copy, which went viral on WhatsApp on Friday, Effendi asked those in the organizing committee to take part in maintaining security during the event.
Those coming to Jakarta to attend the rally are not only from the capital city but also from other cities, towns, and districts across Indonesia.
The 212 reunion rally has consistently been convened since 2017 to commemorate the historic moment of the 212 rally that the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Councils Fatwa (GNPF-MUI) had held on Dec 2, 2016.
Some seven million Indonesian Muslims coming from different parts of the country and abroad participated in the rally at that time, to demand the prosecution of then Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok), after he was accused of insulting Islam.
Despite the huge number of participants who flocked to Monas Square and its surrounding areas, the rally went on peacefully.
The areas that the crowds of people occupied and passed by even looked clean, owing to those who voluntarily collected the trash.
Considering the importance of this commemorative event for strengthening "silaturrahim" (communal togetherness) among Muslims, the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI)-Jakarta Chapter has let Muslims across the country join the 212 reunion rally.
"You are all welcome because the purpose of the 212 reunion rally is to strengthen `silaturrahim` (communal togetherness) among Muslims," Chairman of MUI-Jakarta Chapter K. H. Munahar Mukhtar told journalists in Jakarta on Oct 26.
Reporting by Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga
Editing by Rahmad Nasution, Suharto
Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
