Jakarta: Thousands of hardine Muslim protesters staged rallies in Indonesia on Sunday urging the government to apply Islamic law as the only way to tackle widespread corruption.
Members of Hizbut Tahrir demonstrated in several cities including the capital Jakarta, venting anger at a USD 700-million bank bailout at the centre of a corruption scandal that has put high-level officials under fire.
In Jakarta, thousands of protesters took to the streets with their families and children, carrying banners condemning the capitalist system as the root of corruption.
"The Bank Century scandal proves the failure of capitalism system," read one big banner. "By adopting sharia under Islamic caliphate, Indonesia is free from corruption," said another.
Lawmakers are probing allegations of corruption linked to the bailout last year of Bank Century after the country's top auditor found strong indications of "violations”.
"The capitalist system has ruined our economy. That's the source of all problems in our country," Hizbut Tahrir spokesman Muhammad Ismail Yusanto declared at the rally.
Hundreds of members of the group also rallied last week on World AIDS Day to demand the implementation of sharia law to prevent the spread of HIV rather than condom use.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, December 06, 2009, 17:08