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Residents plan to stay home during Friday protest
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Thousands of people march from Istiqlal Mosque to City Hall in Jakarta on Oct. 14 in an effort to push the police to prosecute Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama over religious defamation allegations. (JP/Liza Yosephine )
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lthough the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) have said they will guarantee security during a massive demonstration against Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama planned for Friday, some residents plan to stay at home during the protest.
Desy, a student of Jakarta’s Atma Jaya University who lives in Depok, West Java, said she was considering skipping class on Friday in fear of possible violent demonstrations.
Since last week, Desy said, her aunt had advised her to stay home during the protest.
"My aunt got a message that Jakarta will be on full security alert on Friday. She is worried that the protest will not only be directed at Ahok but also at other Chinese descendants like us," she told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Tania, a Pluit resident who owns a clothing shop in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, said she would close the store on Friday.
"The protest will make people scared to visit the shops in Tanah Abang. It will be useless for us to open the shop," she said, adding that most shops in Tanah Abang would be closed on Friday.
The National Police and the TNI will deploy at least 20,000 personnel — including 500 officers from the police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob), who will wear white Muslim caps and clothing over their uniforms — during the rally organized by several Muslim groups to demand the prosecution of Ahok for alleged blasphemy. (bbn)
