Uphold Peaceful Regional Elections
The South Jakarta office of the General Elections Commission (KPU) and South Jakarta Police hold a gubernatorial election simulation at A Yani field, Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, Wednesday (8/2). The simulation showed voting procedures and security readiness for voting day.
AMBON, KOMPAS — The 2017 regional election is part of Indonesia’s gamble on democracy. For this reason, all sides must strive to maintain peace ahead of and after voting day on Feb. 15.
For that reason, President Joko Widodo expected there would be no activities that could disturb the peace during the cooling-off period of Feb. 12-14.
“During the cooling-off, everyone must be peaceful. There must be no spark, however small. It is called a cooling-off period, so everyone must be cool,” the President said on Wednesday (8/2) night in Ambon, Maluku.
Earlier, a similar call had also been made by Muhammadiyah chair Haedar Nashir. To maintain peace, he called on everyone to refrain and not stage rallies before voting day on Feb. 15.
Regarding plans for rallies, Nahdlatul Ulama leader KH Ma’ruf Amin called on NU members not to join rallies in Jakarta on Saturday (11/2). Ma’ruf said NU members must stay at home.
“The National Police chief said that the General Elections Commission has banned rallies. I instruct NU members to not go to Jakarta,” Ma’ruf said in a speech at a get-together of the Banten chapter’s NU leaders and executives in Tanara, Serang regency, yesterday.
The Jakarta Police have received information about a mass organization intending to hold a long march on Feb. 11 from the national monument to Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jl. MH Thamrin and returning to the monument, one day before the cooling-off period. More mass rallies were planned for Sunday (12/2) and Wednesday (15/2), on voting day.
National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said the police had been informed that the rally on Feb. 11 would center on Istiqlal Mosque and have religious activities. “We think that is positive and support it. The Jakarta Police will provide security and we will strengthen this with personnel from Police headquarters,” Tito said.
Cooling-off period
Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) commissioner Nasrullah said the cooling-off period was designed for the public to have time to think about the candidates and help them make a choice. If any group wanted to voice their aspirations, it must not violate the public’s right to a cooling-off period.
General Elections Commission (KPU) chair Juri Ardiantoro also said the three-day cooling-off period prior to voting day aimed to create a quiet and conducive situation ahead of the election. It also aimed to give voters the chance to decide on the candidate they wanted to vote for, based on information they had received during the campaign period.
Therefore, during the cooling-off period, all campaign paraphernalia must be removed from public spaces.
Juri said if a mass gathering turned into a campaign during the cooling-off period, it could be categorized as a campaign violation because it was outside the official schedule and would thus be subject to criminal charges.
Article 187 paragraph 1 of Law No. 10/2016 on regional elections stipulates that any individual who intentionally campaigns outside the schedule set by the KPU can be charged with a criminal offense and will face between 15 days and three months in jail or a fine of between Rp 100,000 and Rp 1 million. A stiffer punishment is stipulated in Article 182A for those preventing citizens from casting their votes. They will face between 24 and 72 months in jail and be fined between Rp 24 million and Rp 72 million.
“We call on everyone to maintain peace during the cooling-off period. Please respect voters by not organizing any activities that could disturb the peace,” Juri said.
Information
Banten Police chief Brig. Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said he had received information that many Banten residents had been invited to go to Jakarta on Feb. 11.
Regarding this, the Banten Police called on Banten residents to stay at home and focus on voting day, slated for Feb. 15. There are two candidate pairs contesting the Banten poll, Wahidin Halim-Andika Hazrumy and Rano Karno-Embay Mulya Syarif.
Based on a KPU Banten report, Sigit said public participation in the election had been low. “Public participation in the Banten elections in 2016 was under 50 percent,” he said.
Lampung Police chief Insp. Gen. Sudjarno also called on Lampung residents not to join the Jakarta rally on Feb. 11. Residents who wanted to voice their aspirations were urged to stage a peaceful rally in Lampung.
“This is for the sake of maintaining security and national unity. The people can voice their aspirations in their respective locations. They do not need to go to Jakarta,” Sudjarno said.
He asked community leaders to help the police maintain national unity.
Cirebon City Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Adi Vivid Bachtiar said he had not received a permit request from any Cirebon residents to join the Feb. 11 rally.
Meanwhile, the Cirebon City branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) called on residents not to go to Jakarta to join the rally on Feb. 11. “Since Nov. 3, 2016, MUI Cirebon has distributed letters calling on residents not to join or facilitate people going to the Jakarta rallies in December. The same also applies for the rally scheduled for Feb. 11,” said MUI Cirebon chair KH Sholihin Uzer.
(GAL/BAY/IKI/AIN/NDY/ VIO/SAN/SYA/INA/TRA)
