Security tightens as campaign parade nears

Tue, 11/10/2009 8:13 AM  |  Bali

Bali and Denpasar City Police will deploy hundreds of officers on to Denpasar's streets to guard a cultural parade on Sunday. The parade will mark the start of the official campaign period for the upcoming legislative election.

Speaking after a coordination meeting with the Bali Election Commission (KPUD) in Denpasar on Thursday, Bali Police Chief of Operations Adj. Sr. Comr. Andi Panggabean said the police would have 474 uniformed officers secure the parade at Bajra Sandhi Monument in Renon, South Denpasar and an additional 25 to regulate traffic.

He added that the Denpasar city police have also began preparations to increase security for another political campaign parade, which will take place earlier in the day in Puputan Badung Park in downtown Denpasar.

Although the Bali KPUD has yet to finish coordinating the event with the island's 36 political parties, Andi said the police are ready to face any possible clashes.

"The thing we should be worrying about is certain individuals who deliberately want to provoke chaos, but parties have signed an agreement to campaign peacefully and we've spread the word on that so I don't expect much violence to erupt during the parade," he said, referring to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by representatives from all but six minor political parties in Bali earlier this February.

"We've managed to secure bigger events successfully in the past and I don't think we'll fail to do the same this Sunday," he said.

The official campaigning season kicks off on March 20 and will run through to April 5, with a four-day no-campaign period, when campaigning will be strictly forbidden, from March 25 to 28, to coincide with the major Hindu holiday of Nyepi.

To kick off the campaign season, the Bali KPUD and political parties will participate in arts performances at the Art Centre in Denpasar this Saturday evening.

On the following Sunday afternoon, the Bali KPUD will stage a joint campaign by holding a cultural parade around the Bajra Sandhi Monument, with members of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and legislative candidates from Bali's 36 parties - an estimated 3,300 potential lawmakers.

At the same time, the Denpasar KPUD will have legislative candidates running for municipal legislative council seats parade on decorated bikes.

"One thing is for sure, the Denpasar city police are comfortable with the parade route we've given them and they said they are ready *to secure the event*," I Made Gede Ray Misno, head of the Denpasar KPUD, said.

In a related development, the Bali KPUD was finalizing its plans concerning the parade.

KPUD official Dewa Raka Sandhi said the Bali KPUD would not allow party supporters to plant or attach party attributes anywhere in the field during the parade, though they are allowed to parade them.

He added that party supporters may only park their vehicles in a particular spots depending on their party affiliations, further saying that more measures may be taken to prevent any possible clashes.

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