Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (kompas.com/Sri Lestari)

Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama has again revised the gubernatorial regulation on demonstration, post a slew of public protest with regard to an earlier revision banning protest in front of the Presidential Palace and limiting further demonstration to three out-of-the-way central locations.

"We have revised it. We realize there was a mistake," Ahok said at City Hall on Friday, referring to Gubernatorial Regulation No. 228/2015, which has now been revised into Gubernatorial Regulation No. 232/2015.

The prior revision to this regulation, restricted demonstration to three places: Parkir Timur Senayan within the Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Alun-Alun Demokrasi (Democracy Plaza) located at the House of Representatives complex and Silang Selatan (Southern Cross) at the National Monument (Monas) park.

Changes made in the new regulation revision are slight; the city administration will facilitate those who wish to carry out demonstrations in the three aforementioned locations. Meanwhile, demonstrations organized in any other location would not have support facilities provided by the city administration.

With the new regulation, '€œif the people want to demonstrate in other places, it's okay as long as they don'€™t violate Law No. 9/1998 on freedom of speech," Ahok said, adding that in the three approved demonstration locations, the city administration plans to prepare various facilities, including toilets and garbage cans.

Among those who protested the initial revision to the demonstration regulation were activists from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and the Congress Alliance of Indonesian Labor Unions (KASBI). (bbn)

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