Blasphemy verdict a huge setback for Indonesian democracy 

In a development to the now familiar Indonesian democratic dance of “two steps forward and one step back”, the nation has just hopped several huge steps in the wrong direction.
But if we retain faith in democracy, we know Indonesia will soon return to its normal rhythm.
Since beginning our march toward democracy in 1999, Indonesia has come too far to simply give it up now. But the nation is having to fight every step of the way.
Ahok’s guilty verdict was surely a tragedy on that journey and wrong on so many levels.
It goes against our sense of justice, it raises questions about whether courts can make rulings independent of public opinion, it casts doubt on the capability of law enforcement in dealing with mobs and it undermines freedom of speech and other freedoms. And where is the state in all of this?
Strong justice, credible law enforcement and guarantees of freedom are basic elements that make for a functioning democracy. Ahok’s guilty verdict undermines all of these.
There is simply no way that what he said in October at the start of his election campaign, in citing a Koranic verse, could be construed as blasphemous.
But his statement “don’t be fooled by the use of Al Maidah” became blasphemous in the eyes of some because the governor is of Chinese descent and a Christian and was the frontrunner in the election.
Indonesians have been warned repeatedly of the dangers of abusing religious symbols for political objectives. But that message has fallen on deaf or opportunistic ears.
It is hard to believe that the court could have reached its decision independently of perceived public opinion, or rather of the threats made before Tuesday of mass rioting if Ahok were acquitted or convicted of anything less than blasphemy.
The state prosecutors had already dropped the blasphemy charge, in making their decision they explained they had 
no evidence that such a crime had been committed. Instead they said Ahok, through his speech, had insulted Muslims, and they demanded a one-year suspended sentence.
It was bizarre, though perhaps not unexpected, that the court decided to reinstate the blasphemy charge, find him guilty and sentence him to two years in prison. For good measure, the judges ordered that he be detained immediately, another clear indicator that the court had succumbed to the mob.
Now that Ahok’s fate is in the hands of the appeals court, maybe, just maybe, justice will be achieved as judges make their decision away from the public eye.
Jakartans had already lost the services of undoubtedly the best governor they have had in over four decades when Ahok was defeated in last month’s election. Again, no point in ruing this loss. On the bright side, he has set a high benchmark for the next governor when it comes to serving the needs of citizens.
The more pertinent question concerns the fate of our democracy.
Antidemocratic forces are rising in Indonesia. They include our courts of justice and the capability of our law enforcement agencies in dealing with mobs and in guaranteeing freedoms enshrined by the Constitution.
One priority is to have the Constitutional Court repeal the blasphemy legislation, because it has become so widely abused and used to jail political opponents.
The Ahok episode also underlines the failure of the state to make its presence felt when it really matters.
Intolerance reared its ugly head throughout the blasphemy case in the form of a massive campaign to throw him in jail and deny his bid for re-election.
We should not allow hate and intolerance to become default characteristics of Indonesians, for that is a sure recipe for the death of democracy. Indonesians have to believe in what they preach as moderate and tolerant people, because the progress of our march to democracy depends on it.
The bigger battle to protect democracy must now be pursued in the public space.
Much of the message of hate and intolerance has been conducted through intensive and massive campaigns to mobilise public opinion. The Internet has become the main battleground where the fight will be waged to win back our freedom and democracy.
The struggle for Indonesia’s democracy has just become harder, but we cannot afford to relinquish the country to religious bigotry.