After years of persecution and discrimination, the nation's minorities have said they will go to the polls this year to support legislative and presidential candidates who uphold freedom of religion.



As many as 66 displaced Ahmadis, who have been taking shelter at Wisma Transito in Mataram, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), for more than eight years, were disenfranchised from the regional election last year due to their 'unclear' residence.



They said they did not care about the regional election, but added that the upcoming legislative and presidential elections were different, and that this time they would fight for their right to vote.



Nasaruddin Ahmadi, leader of a local Ahmadiyah community, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that after struggling for months, he and other eligible voters in the community had finally been registered to vote. Though it may result in little progress to their current situation as a religious minority, they planned to vote anyway.



'To be honest, I'm not sure whether it's worth voting; we cast our votes in the 2009 presidential election, and look at what happened to us. However, we remain loyal to the country regardless of the discrimination we experience,' Nasaruddin said.



The fate of the Ahmadis in Mataram remains in limbo, after a mob claiming to be members of the Sunni majority attacked them and burned their houses in Ketapang, East Lombok, in 2006 over allegations of blasphemy.



In the shelter, they live in rows of purpose-built shacks, measuring 2 by 3 meters.



According to Nasaruddin, several members of the community had given up and converted to the so-called 'true Islam' in order to have a normal life and have access to social services. The majority, however, have refused to do so and remain in the shelter.



Twenty-two children, who have been born in the shelter during the last eight years, all lack birth certificates because their parents are still struggling to have their civil rights recognized.



Currently, 33 displaced families are living in the shelter in dire conditions, barely able to meet their basic needs.



Members of the nationwide Ahmadiyah community suffered further after the government bowed to an Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) edict, which declared Ahmadiyah a deviant sect, and issued a joint ministerial decree in 2008 banning followers of the sect from openly practicing their faith.



Jakarta Governor and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential candidate Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo is viewed as a pluralist politician for defending a Christian subdistrict head who faced resistance from Muslims in her area because of her faith.



Nasaruddin said the majority of the Ahmadiyah community had almost lost hope of a better life until they heard about what happened to Susan Jasmine Zulkifli, head of Lenteng Agung subdistrict in Jakarta, who retained her position despite the calls for her dismissal from intolerant residents. 'There is hope after all. That is the reason why we want to vote,' he said.



In a separate interview, Iklil Al Milal, a leader of the Shia community in Sampang, East Java, also cited Susan's case as a cause for hope for greater religious freedom in the country. Although members of the community were enthusiastic to vote, they may be prevented from participating because, according to Iklil, no election-organizing officials had visited them to register them for the elections.



'I want to vote. And I know others in the community who want to also, but we don't yet know whether we are registered to vote,' Iklil said, adding that most of the community's members did not even know the date of the presidential election.



Sixty-seven Shiite families were forced to leave their village in Sampang after a conflict with the majority Sunnis peaked on Aug. 27, 2012. Dozens of homes belonging to Shia followers, whose spiritual leader was Tajul Muluk, were torched by a mob that claimed to represent the majority group. Two people were killed in the rioting, while Tajul has since been imprisoned for blasphemy.



The Shiites initially took shelter at a sports stadium in Sampang but were eventually evacuated to the Puspa Agro apartments in Sidoarjo, where they are still living.



Bona Sigalingging, from the defunct GKI Taman Yasmin church, echoed Nasaruddin and Iklil, saying that voting for a pluralist leader in the upcoming presidential election was their only hope to restore access to their sealed church.



'We can do nothing until we have a leader who dares to uphold the law. I can see there is a potential figure that seems able to do so, bearing in mind the case of the Lenteng Agung head, Susan. However, I will be very careful in making my choice,' Sigalingging said.

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