MUI Implies Next President Should Be Muslim

VIVAnews - The Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) issued a religious decree that states that Muslim voters are obligated to vote in the upcoming elections and that the presidential candidate they vote for must meet the criteria of Islamic values, thus implying that the next president should be a Muslim.

MUI issued a religious decree, or fatwa, which states that Muslim voters are prohibited of becoming non-voters in the next Elections. However, "If a fine [presidential candidate] is available, then being non-voters are not prohibited," said MUI Head Chalil Ridwan on Monday, Jan 26.

The said leader should be reliable, credible, and pious. If there are no candidates that measure up to the Islamic standard according to MUI, then the people are allowed to abstain from voting. "However, certain candidates should meet the criteria," said Ridwan.

Ridwan said, "Prophet [Muhammad] said ask to those who know. Therefore, the Indonesian Ulama Council instructs that the next leader should be Muslim."

In explaining why the next president should be a Muslim, Ridwan said that this is because the religious decree is aimed at Muslims. "The leader [that should be elected] should be Muslim because the instruction is aimed at Islam devotees," said Ridwan on Monday, Jan 26.

In addition, the religious decree is to be applied at both the Legislative and Presidential Elections. "The next Elections will be concerned with presidential candidate. Therefore, the instruction is applicable for both elections," said Ridwan.

In response, a politician from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Yasonna Laoly said on Tuesday, Jan. 27, that there should be no sanction applied if there was a violation of the religious decree because the Constitution gives the people the right to choose not to vote. "The Constitution does not restrict the people from abstaining," said Laoly

According to Laoly, Indonesia's law is different from some other countries, like Australia, which obligates the citizens to vote. "[Australia] applies sanction to non-voters," he said.

Laoly claimed that MUI instruction should instead encourage the Elections Commission or the government to run campaign on the next elections to generate more voters. He said that there are two issues which cause people to abstain from voting: "First, they do not have voting cards. Second, it is their political standpoints."

The Indonesian Ulama Council issued several religious decrees in a meeting held in Padangpanjang, West Sumatra. One of them prohibits Muslim from being non-voters in the next elections. The issue was once brought up by Chairman of People's Consultative Assembly, Hidayat Nur Wahid, who said that MUI should prohibit people from abstaining from voting in order to reduce the number of non-voters in the 2009 Elections.

VIVAnews journalists Arfi Bambani Amri, Siswanto and Elin Yunita Kristanto contributed in this article.

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