Indonesia: Ma’ruf Amin says he regrets testifying against Ahok

• A video of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s running mate, Ma’ruf Amin, saying he regretted taking part in former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama being jailed for blasphemy went viral, sparking various public responses.
• “Yes, of course [I regret it]. I was forced to do it. I didn’t want to imprison someone. I don’t want it. But I have to. At that time, I was in the process of enforcing the law. I couldn’t do anything even with sympathetic feelings toward him. I apologized right after that because I also didn’t want to bother people, ” Amin said in the 48-second interview.
• His statement, on a touchy topic that is still controversial years after the fact, sparked a public debate on social media.
• Amin’s son, Ahmad Syauqi, said his father’s confession was to make his position clear as chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) when he testified at Ahok’s blasphemy trial.
• “The essence of his statement is that it was not his personal desire but a part of law enforcement, and he does not personally oppose Ahok. At the time, the law had to be enforced because of the violations, not Ahok as an individual,” he said.

External Link: https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/01/06/maruf-amin-says-he-regrets-testifying-against-ahok.html