Jakarta Election : Mass Deployment of Police and Military Ahead of Polling

22,000 police and military officers are deployed in Jakarta, Indonesia to control a massive prayer session.
Jakarta, 14 Jumadil Awwal 1438/11 Feruary 2017 (MINA) – More than 20,000 police and military officers will be deployed across Jakarta today as the Indonesian capital prepares to go to the polls to elect a governor on February 15.

A massive 7 million Jakarta locals will head to the polls on Wednesday in one of the most bitterly fought gubernatorial elections the city has ever seen.

Indonesia’s police chief Tito Karnavian, who has played a key role in calming tensions ahead of the election, warned against pre-poll protests and said police would maintain public order so the people of Jakarta felt safe, radioaustralia.net reported.

Last months, conservative Muslim groups organised three mass protests against incumbent Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama — widely known as “Ahok” — who is being tried for blasphemy in a Jakarta court for comments he made in relation to the Koran.

Ahok maintains the charges against him are politically motivated. Radical Islamic groups that have led the rallies want Ahok jailed and argue the Koran demands that Muslims cannot vote for non-Muslim candidates.

Ahok is from a double minority in Muslim-majority Indonesia. He is Christian and ethnic Chinese.

“This is a celebration of democracy that is going to happen on the 15th and we need to ensure it happens in compliance with the laws,” General Karnavian said.

Mass prayer session instead of planned fourth rally

Police banned a fourth rally planned for Saturday by conservative Muslim groups, including the firebrand Islamic Defenders Front. Instead, an agreement was reached to allow a prayer session at Jakarta’s grand Istiqlal mosque.

“I firmly ask, as has been agreed upon with the organiser, that there will not be any long march,” General Karnavian said.

General Karnavian warned that anyone breaking the agreement could be arrested and tausyiah or religious messages should not be mixed with political ones. (T/RS05/RS01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)