TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Dangdut singer Rhoma Irama may state in his defense that his words and actions had nothing to do with SARA (ethnicity, religion and race issues) but this argument is weak – because what he said in public dealt with exactly that. Not only was it inappropriate, but toying with this sensitive matter is very dangerous indeed. The measures taken by the Supervisory Committee on the Jakarta Regional Head Election to examine Rhoma Irama should be supported. The campaign star for incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo must explain why did he make the inflammatory speech that he did at a mosque in Tanjung Duren, West Jakarta, sometime ago. First, he did admit that he had encouraged the congregation to vote for a leader of the same faith. The musician also cited a verse from the Al-Quran that said a believer was prohibited to elect kafir (infidels) as leaders. His excuse that he said it in a place of worship - not a public place - is difficult to accept. Such a limitation becomes irrelevant because the violation of the sensitive issue does not know boundaries, especially since the video on the lecture has been spread everywhere and can be accessed by many. This can be regarded as an attack on the Joko Widodo-Basuki Tjahaja Purnama duo since Rhoma is known as a supporter of Fauzi Bowo-Nachrowi Ramli. The two pairs will compete in the second round of elections in September. We hope the supervisory committee will not be affected by the King of Dangdut’s supporters who held him up to a high esteem, even during the examination of this case. Touching on the matter of SARA is clearly prohibited in campaigns, as stipulated in Law No. 32 of 2004 on Regional Governance. Also prohibited is campaigning outside the schedule and at a place of worship. The supervisory committee should not be afraid to take action if Rhoma is proven to have gone against the law, even to go as far as taking it to the law enforcement for processing. The law clearly stipulates that campaigning outside schedule and using SARA may be considered a crime. The price of playing with SARA is quite high, which is punishable by 18 months in prison. Decisive action is important because the use of SARA does not only violate the rules of gubernatorial elections, but also the 1945 constitution, which expressly prohibits discrimination in any form. Every citizen, regardless of religion, ethnicity, race, and class, has equal rights in politics. Supporters of Jakarta Governor candidates should be aware that the use of SARA causes more harm than benefit. Questioning the religion or ethnic group of a candidate is an act of “dumbing” people as it is irrelevant to the real problems facing the capital. The right candidate is required to cope with flooding, congestion, and the urban planning mess in Jakarta. He or she can come from any religion and ethnicity. Rhoma Irama must certainly be aware of the importance of respecting the plurality of society. He even once described this problem in his songs titled 135 Million. The lyrics include, "One ethnic group should not insult another." So, it is outrageous if Rhoma forgets this principle. *****