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Jakartans wary of Nov. 4 rally, take precautions
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Mobile Brigade police personnel march at the National Monument square in Central Jakarta on Oct. 31 in anticipation of the mass rally on Friday. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
S
ome Jakarta citizens said they would take precautions by staying away from the mass rally involving Muslim hardliners who plan to flock the capital on Friday to demand immediate incarceration of incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy.
An employee at a company in Kemang, South Jakarta, Winda Puspita, said she would temporarily move to her cousin’s house in Depok, West Java, to avoid the rally, even though her office will remain operational on Friday.
“My friends and family told me the protest would be similar to the 1998 riots, so it would be better to move out of the city,” she told The Jakarta Post.
Even though the National Police will reportedly deploy nearly 20,000 personnel and have told residents to remain calm and carry out their activities as normal, residents were still anxious.
Law firm Hakim dan Rekan in Senayan, Central Jakarta, planned to close its office on Friday.
“We are vigilant about the protest. Moreover, there will be traffic gridlocks everywhere,” said one of the company’s associates, Ridzki Putra Ramadhan.
Some schools will also be closed. Gandhi Memorial International School in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, for instance, had announced to parents that it would take a day off on Friday.
“I am relieved that the school has decided this. I have been worried about the demonstration,” said Justina Sukamto, a mother of a fifth-grader at the school. (adt/dmr)
