The police are likely to take the question of banning the Islamic Defenders Front, FPI, to the parliament.
On Monday in the west Java city of Cirebon several hundred Gus Dur loyalists, members of the NU (Nahdlatul Ulama), demonstrated over the Purwakarta incident of a few days previously, and demanded that the authorities disband the Front Pembela Islam (FPI), as well as the Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI) and the Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI).
Maman Imanullah spoke at the demonstration thus:
Islam is peaceful. It’s not like the way they (FPI, MMI, HTI) show it as these days.
(Wajah Islam adalah wajah yang damai. Bukan wajah yang mereka perlihatkan sekarang ini.)
In likely response to these sorts of demonstrations today a chief of police in Jakarta, Anton Bachrul Alam, said he would consult with the parliament over the question of banning the FPI.
The police can’t just ban an organisation, there has to be a legal basis for it. So the police will consult with the parliament.
he said, giving the example of the Communist Party of Indonesia’s (PKI) banning.
The police have to act within the law, for example in the banning of the PKI there had to be an edict from the president, then the police could act.
and
As soon as possible we will have a meeting with parliamentarians on the question of the banning of the FPI.
There is certainly a lot of support within Indonesia for the banning of the Front but this is unlikely to be the best course. The best option is for the police to simply be able to do their jobs properly and take sterner action against the Front’s antics and intimidation, much like the recent Bekasi case.
Update 31st May
In a similar vein to the above today a senior Jakarta police chief, Firman Gani, said that the existence of groups like the FPI and MMI was the result of freedom of association laws.
But it doesn’t mean they can’t be banned. Maybe via consultation with the parliament it could be possible.
he said at a meeting with parliamentarians. He advised against banning them:
There’s freedom of association isn’t there, if today we ban them tomorrow they will reform again.
Meanwhile the chairman of the Muhammadiyah Youth, Abdul Mu’ti, says that some mass organisations (ormas) are out of control and advises the government to draft new laws to contain the problem. He said that there many organisations that had sprung up recently, with unclear motives and goals, and these groups were likely to use violence or intimidation.
Mass organisations have on several occasions recently been the cause of various forms of violence.
Aha! I only started to visit your website recently, so I missed that entry completely. I know Mr. Rizali back from college days in Depok. We don’t always see each other eye to eye, but one thing for sure: he never mince words.
One thing to add, though. You said the media-obsession isn’t a malevolent streak, but I don’t think it’s true anymore. It’s a dangerous and stupid game he plays.
But if SBY chooses to keep playing the PR game, we should do too. Here is a public image of SBY I would like everyone to see: SBY Loves FPI. For those who are campaigning to ban FPI, here’s my suggestion: buy a full page ad in Kompas and Jakarta Post with the words: “Why Do SBY Support FPI?” Or do a contest, ask people to list: 10 Reasons Why SBY Loves FPI.
I can guarantee you that this is not the image SBY wants the outside world to see, and that’s all he cares about.
JK? He’s just the other half of this unfunny comedic duo.
Arrest every single member of the Front Preman Indonesia and the PBR. all they do is extort money and damage properties.
This is just the right time for our gov esp SBY to rule this country with a bloody hand against any type of mob actions. I’d say shoot them on the head, each one of them. Seriously, we are the people, we pay taxes, while those retards.. I don’t think they do.
However we are the one who always pay the extra consequences. We just want to live in peace, and these buch of retards stole it from us and what our gov can do is just watching us like a soap opera.
Do you want to know who is behind FPI? Wiranto
whoever he is.. he’s a fag and retard.
Yeah, how useful is the infoarmation about who’s behind FPI if nooned does anything about it.
I care more about who has the authority to stop FPI but does nothing: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kall.
Rockstar, you are insulting retards by equating FPI to them. And if you think about fags in that way you are not that much different from those FPI thugs.
What on earth are you talking about??
If I insulted retared people, I’d say something directly about them. But did I? Read my sentence carefully, I said he was retard, which also meant he had a mental problem.
Correct me if I am wrong here. Don’t you think that whoever the guy is.. he definitely has a mental problem?
Fag, if the guy trully has GUTS, why would he really depends on the mass? That guy is a frickin coward. There should be a worst word to describe how fag that guy is.
and excuse me Annon, have you been caught by a mob on the street and your car was smashed by them? No of course you haven’t. Now don’t call me thugs. You have no right on calling me thugs. They are thugs.
Again, I don’t INSULT retards people, your statement reads as if I was insulting them.
I’m just saying people who are unfortunate to have mental problems don’t need to be insulted by saying FPI are just like them.
“Retard..A person born with a mental condition and therefore has to work a million times harder to be able to do simple things (such as learn and communicate) that we take for granted. On top of this, a retard will usually suffer a lot of ridicule from society because people fear what they do not understand. The people who choose to make fun of the mentally retarded tend to be unable to comprehend that these people have feelings and emotions just like anyone else…”
FPI people are despicable, thugs, criminals. They ARE NOT retarded. Most retarded people are kind.
And about, ‘fag’, I’ll let you off on this one. But FYI, ‘fag’ is sometimes used as a derogatory term for those with certain sexual orientation. One could misconstrue that you have something against homosexuals or homosexuality.
It’s clear we both hate FPI, but I’m just suggesting you don’t use ‘retard’ or ‘fag’ as insults, but of course it’s your decision.
Come to think of it, you’re right about the retarded thing. I appologize.
I shouldn’t have used those words.
I just want to make it clear here that I don’t insult retarded people. Here, the word retard is leaning toward a negative meaning than positive. People usually use a more indirected words such as ‘development delay’ or ‘mental illness’ or something like that. Retard is a harsh word, (I think) nobody uses it to describe people with a mental health.
I find it incredible that in the 21st century we still have these backward thinking groups in the world. The so called “leader” of this bunch of malcontempts states publicly that “osama bin laden is not a terrorist but a freedom fighter” what a farce. There is certainly a case for the outlawing of any organisation that has such fundamentaly flawed outlooks.
As for the FPI destruction of Playboy’s offices. Once again Indonesia is distancing itself from others in sth east asia. They still beleieve they are “above” other nations. They believe they are superior. THEY ARE NOT ! The FPIU are simply thugs and gangsters that are extorting money from businesses and attempting to instill a sharia style government in what once was a moderate government.
FINE.
Tourists VOTE WITH YOUR VISAS
BUSINESS VOTE WITH YOUR INVESTMENT
REST OF THE WORLD ignore them.. they are not worth the effort.. they shall fall into the abyss like all other foolhardy groups that have little or no understanding of the 21st century.
FPI are truly crazy so arrest and penalty them for death like what happen to three Christian Indonesians in Sulawesi!
Indonesia is getting hot. Cup of passion will already been empty. We just only can see with do nothing. Our country just like a store without waiter. God will be take it back from us. We will going down and be separated each other.
I absolutely agree : shoot evry single head of FPI (FORUM PREMAN mngatasnamakn ISLAM)’s head. Cuz theirs aren’t useful anymore since they had lost their brain on Pancasila’s Day 1 June 08! Banning FPI! Hidup perdamaian antar agama di Indonesia!
Whatever the name of the mobsters, every person who doing violent act againt the law, must be prosecuted.
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I fully agree. Banning won’t solve the problem. Just arrest the thugs whenever they violate the law. In the case of FPI, since violating the law is the reason for their existence, enforcing the law would mean renderring them irrelevant.
The problem is…maybe for some reasons SBY actually prefer this issue to be brought to the parliament. It’s not unlike him at all to act cowardly and just sit on the fence, trying to act all neutral. (“Let the parliament solve this, I’ll just act statesmanly and look pretty”)
Taking risks such as, you know, enforcing the existing law, is not SBY’s strongest suit.