The presidium of 212 rally alumni is planning to hit the streets on July 28following the issuance of Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) No. 2/2017 on mass organizations.
The presidium's head Slamet Maarif stated that the long march will be dubbed as '287 movement' and will be held as an act aimed to oversee the review of the Perppu.
"First, we're absolutely worried, if the Perppu keeps going on, there'll be a new dictator regime that'll judge without having to deal with a legal process. Second, about the criminalization. There's an indication [for the government] to have the authority to silence Islamic organizations. It can't be denied that the first [targeted] victim is the Islamic organizations," he said on Wednesday.
The presidium argued that the Perppu would be a way for the government to perform an abuse of power by disbanding Islamic organizations on the pretext of opposing the official state ideology. Slamet said the long march will be joined by 23 Islamic groups across Indonesia, yet he was unable to provide the estimation of number of participants.
Slamet himself said that he had sent a letter of permission to the Jakarta Police. However, there has yet to be any answer from the police.
The field coordinator Daud Poli Raja explained that the rally will begin at the Istiqlal Mosque after Friday prayer, which then continued with a long march to Jl. Merdeka Barat.
"From Patung Kuda [monument], passing the Monas to the Constitutional Court Building," said Daud.
Previously, the government had issued a decree allowing them to ban groups that oppose the official state ideology. The law, signed by President Joko Widodo July 13, comes as concerns grow about the emergence and influence of radical groups which appear to challenge Pancasila that promotes pluralism and tolerance.
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