Arsul Sani: 212 Grand Reunion will Not Affect Jokowi Electability

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy head of the National Campaign Team (TKN) of Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin, Arsul Sani, considered participants of the reunion of 212 Alumni Brotherhood (PA 212) were not supporters of the candidate number 01. Thus, he added, the act would not give any impact to the electability of Jokowi-Maruf pair.

“Because people who will join the 212 [grand reunion] is not supporters of Pak Jokowi,” said Arsul in Jokowi-Ma’ruf Media Center on Jalan Cemara, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, November 28.

Arsul said the TKN was not worried over the act, and that Jokowi supporters would not willing to join the reunion of the Act to Defend Islam which was held on December 2, 2016.

The 212 reunion, Arsul opined, was established over political interest. The act would be different than the initial movement in which people gathered in response to the Basuki Tjahja Purnama alias Ahok’s statement which they deemed a religious blasphemy. At that time, he added, the act was triggered by an offense on religion and faith.

Arsul denied the statement conveyed by the coordinator of the 212 Grand Reunion, Slamet Ma’arif, that saying the act this weekend in Monas was not politically driven.

Slamet said the event was just a reunion for participants of the Act to Defend Islam two years ago. “Interfaith figures will present in the 212 reunions. [It is] not political move or campaign act of certain candidate,” Slamet noted in a conference press in the Indonesian Islamic Preaching Council (DDII) building in Jalan Kramat Raya, Jakarta, on Wednesday, November 28.

FIKRI ARIGI