Under orders from Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) has confiscated thousands of presidential campaign pamphlets, banners and billboards from public spaces in Jakarta.

Most of the campaign materials feature pictures of presidential hopeful Jokowi and his running mate Jusuf Kalla.

Satpol PP head Kukuh Hadisantoso said on Friday that his subordinates had been working to remove the banners and billboards in all five municipalities since Thursday.

'€œThe governor ordered me on Wednesday to take down all the banners, especially the ones put up by his supporters. Ninety-five percent of the banners are in support of Jokowi,'€ he said.

Kukuh said he had not yet received word regarding the total number of banners taken down, but that the highest concentration were found in Menteng, Central Jakarta. '€œWe deployed two trucks to transport the campaign materials to the dump site,'€ he said.

Menteng is the site of Jokowi'€™s campaign headquarters.

Outside Menteng, banners and billboards depicting Jokowi or his rival Prabowo Subianto could be seen in places like Transjakarta bus shelters, main thoroughfares and walls throughout the capital city.

Although Satpol PP has removed many political banners, a large number remain on trees, bridges, roofs and other neighborhood buildings.

Most of the banners were erected by a group of Jokowi campaign volunteers who have named themselves the Bara JP.

Kukuh said his agency could not impose penalties on the campaign volunteers because it was the responsibility of the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Election Monitoring Agency (Bawaslu) to do so. '€œSanctions should be imposed by Bawaslu,'€ he said.

In a separate statement, Bawaslu Jakarta chairwoman Mimah Susanti said that her committee had no legal basis to mete out punishment, since neither the 2008 Presidential Election Law nor the 2011 General Elections Commission Law applies to campaign activity occurring before the opening of the campaign season.

Mimah said in the period prior to the campaign period, Bawaslu could only attempt to prevent presidential candidates and their campaign teams from holding public rallies.

A Jakarta Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) member, Muhammad Jufri, said it was difficult for Panwaslu to impose any sanctions, since the KPU had not yet officially announced the presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said that the presence of the early banners was inevitable. '€œThe same problem occurred in the legislative elections. After we took down the banners, they [supporters] put them back up again,'€ he said.

He said this happened even though regulations regarding campaign materials were clearly stated in the law. '€œIf the rules were hanging at the top of the National Monument [Monas], people might think twice,'€ he said.

According to article 52 of Bylaw No. 8/2007 on public order, all persons and institutions are prohibited from placing or installing any sign, symbol, flag, banner, pennant or other paraphernalia on bridges, road medians, streets, pedestrian bridges, shelters, terminals, parks, electricity poles or other public spaces. There is no sanction mentioned in the bylaw.

Ahok said that KPU regulations were also inadequate. '€œFor example, if legislative candidates are putting pamphlets in public places, they should take them down. If not, Panwaslu should do it. Of course, nobody wants to take them down as it is costly,'€ he said.

Ahok said he was glad that Jokowi still stood behind the bylaw, and that removal of remaining campaign advertisements should continue. '€œThe Satpol PP should raid the banners and billboards regularly,'€ he said.

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