REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – An expert on linguistics Rahayu Surtiati Hidayat became a witness in the religious blasphemy case involving Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) as the defendant. She said there were six clauses in Ahok’s speech in Seribu Island mentioning al-Maidah verse 51. “Do the series of clauses have meaning?” asked the Chairman of Panel of Judges Dwiarso Budi Santiarto during the fifteenth trial in the Auditorium of Agricultural Ministry in Jakarta on Tuesday (March 21).

Rahayu explained all of the clauses have meaning. "The sentence contained six clauses which had relation between each other,” said Rahayu. 

The first clause was “do not believe in the people.” The second was “maybe in your subconsciousness you (the audiences) cannot vote me.” The third was “because being lied by using al-Maidah verse 51 and so on.”

The Chairman of Panel of Judges Dwiarso Budi Santiarto entered the courtroom in the Auditorium of Agricultural Ministry in Jakarta on Tuesday (March 21).

The fourth clause was “It is your (the audiences) right, ok.” The fifth wass “So if you think you cannot vote me.” And the last was “I worried to go to hell, like that, it is ok because it is your personal choice.”

Dwiarso asked whether the word ‘using’ in Ahok’s speech had the same meaning with ‘utilize’. Rahayu said it was the same. The clause of ‘lied by using al-Maidah’ was the same as the clause of ‘lied by utilizing al-Maidah’. 

The mass who support the prosecution of the defendant and the defender of the defendant were not as crowded as the previous trial.

“What is the meaning (of the clause) within the sentence?” asked Dwiarso.

“Al-Maidah was not a lie, but it was used to deceive. So there are people who use al-Maidah verse 51 to deceive somebody,” said Rahayu. 

Also read: Witness pro-Ahok says does not know content of Al-Maidah 51

During the trial, the legal advisors of Ahok presented three expert witnesses. Among others was an expert on Islamic Studies who was represented by an advisory board (Rais Syuriah) of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Jakarta. He was also a lecturer of Sharia Faculty of IAIN Raden Intan Lampung, Ahmad Ishomuddin. 

Rahayu was an expert on linguistics from Cultural Science Faculty of Indonesian University. The trial also presented an expert on criminal law and a lecturer of Faculty of Law in Parahyangan Catholic University Bandung C. Djisman Samosir.

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