TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Be prepared for violence, chaos during regional elections: Jokowi
On alert: President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo meets with commissioners from the General Elections Commission (KPU), Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu)and Election Organizers Ethics Council (DKPP) to discuss the Dec
Change Size
On alert: President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo meets with commissioners from the General Elections Commission (KPU), Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu)and Election Organizers Ethics Council (DKPP) to discuss the Dec. 9 simultaneous regional elections at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday. (Kompas.com/Indra Akuntono) (KPU), Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu)and Election Organizers Ethics Council (DKPP) to discuss the Dec. 9 simultaneous regional elections at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday. (Kompas.com/Indra Akuntono)
O
span class="inline inline-center">On alert: President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo meets with commissioners from the General Elections Commission (KPU), Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu)and Election Organizers Ethics Council (DKPP) to discuss the Dec. 9 simultaneous regional elections at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday. (Kompas.com/Indra Akuntono)
President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has urged authorities to anticipate the potential for violence and chaos to erupt during the simultaneous regional elections later this year.
The President made his appeal during a meeting with election officials including General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Husni Kamil Manik, Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) commissioner Daniel Zuchron and Election Organizers Ethics Council (DKPP) chairman Jimly Asshiddiqie at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday.
State Secretary Minister Pratikno, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo accompanied President Jokowi in the meeting.
'Several things must be anticipated, such as the potential for the kind of social tension that has erupted in several regions recently. We have to pay serious attention to these matters,' Pratikno said as quoted by Antara.
The minister further said that provinces in which violent struggles for regional head seats had occurred among parties must be even more prepared.
'We should also give serious attention to the several regions that have only one candidate pair,' Pratikno said. The minister explained that problems related to this year's simultaneous regional elections had been discussed in the Cabinet meeting on Monday.
'Today, the information is being completed with reports we have just received from the KPU, Bawaslu and DKPP. The President wanted to hear reports [from those three institutions] about their preparedness for the regional elections,' said Pratikno.
Tjahjo said that a team jointly established by the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, the KPU and Bawaslu would begin to monitor the situation in the field on Wednesday.
Among areas to be prioritized for the monitoring were Blitar, East Java; Tasikmalaya, West Java; and Timor Tengah Utara, East Nusa Tenggara, he said.
'Monitoring activities will also be conducted in several areas that experienced conflicts during the ballot counting process and process to determine vote results,' said Tjahjo as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.
The regional elections will be held simultaneously in nine provinces, 224 regencies and 36 municipalities on Dec.9. (ebf)
