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Ahok supporters lambasted for bringing party attributes to Car Free Day
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Familiarization: Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama (left) explains the Jakarta Smart City Lounge to acting governor Sumarsono (center) at City Hall on Oct. 27, the day before the former took a leave of absence to campaign for next year’s gubernatorial election. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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cting Jakarta Governor Sumarsono has lambasted the organizers of a mass gathering in Jakarta on Sunday for allowing participants to bring political party attributes to the event, which was held alongside the city’s weekly Car Free Day.
“In order to protect public convenience, we want CFD to be free from any political activities and attributes,” Sumarsono said on Sunday in a statement.
On Sunday morning, the Golkar Party and NasDem Party organized the so-called “Kita Indonesia” (We are Indonesia) event in an effort to promote tolerance among the nation’s diverse population.
The event was held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Jl. Jenderal Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin, during which cultural performances from various provinces, including Bali, East Java, North Sumatra and East Kalimantan, were presented on 10 stages.
(Read also: Setya Novanto, Surya Paloh stand up for diversity after anti-Ahok rally)
The Jakarta Post observed that most participants of the event were wearing Golkar and NasDem attributes, with some bringing along flags and banners bearing the parties’ names.
According to Jakarta Gubernatorial Decree No. 12/2016 on the Car Free Day Program, Car Free Day should not be used for any political and anti-SARA campaigns. SARA stands for ethnicity, religion, race and social groups.
The Sunday event has been interpreted as a move to address escalating political and religious tension in the country, after more than 500,000 Muslims gathered at the National Monument (Monas) in the capital on Friday to push for the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy.
The Christian governor sparked uproar among Islamic groups after he made a comment about a Quranic verse during his visit to Thousand Islands regency in late September. (adt/hwa)
