Kompolnas commissioner Poengky Indarti said on Wednesday that Tito’s warning on an attempt to oust Jokowi was valid due to the widespread circulation of provocative information, which she called politically driven.

Poengky cited as an example a call through social media for run on banks. “A [provocative] message like this does not come from an empty room. It must be driven by a particular motive,” the commissioner said.

“We assume that parties with political interests are behind this [bank run] campaign because it emerged in the midst of the police’s investigation into a blasphemy case implicating Ahok,” she said, referring to non-active Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.

In a recent social media campaign, Muslims have been called on to withdraw their money from banks on Nov.25.

“Kompolnas lends its full support to the National Police to hunt down sources of this provocative campaign,” Poengky said. “Freedom of speech is guaranteed in a democratic country such as Indonesia. However, people must not misuse such freedom to create public confusion.”

It was earlier reported that protesters planned to occupy the House of Representatives compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta, during the Nov.25 rally, a move that the police viewed as an attempt to oust Jokowi. (ebf)

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