Intolerance Ahead of the 2019 Presidential Election

Kompas/Agus Susanto

The spread of hate speech and fake news on social media has been a hot topic of discussion in Indonesia, with many people resisting content that gives rise to intolerance.

Compared to the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, the number of intolerance cases indeed decreased considerably during the simultaneous regional elections in 171 provinces on June 27. However, what occurred in North Sumatra and West Java remains a danger. Calls not to choose blasphemous figures or candidates of a different faith hit the Djarot Saiful Hidayat-Sihar Sitorus pair.

Many parties said this was the issue that led to the pair’s fall. In West Java, governor-elect Ridwan Kamil claimed to the media that he was the victim of a negative campaign. On social media, information spread that Ridwan had issued 300 permits for the construction of non-Muslim houses of worship. According to Ridwan, only 10 houses of worship received permits during his term as Bandung mayor: five mosques, three churches and two temples. In addition, he was accused of supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.