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Democratic Party doubts fairness, neutrality of 2017 Jakarta election
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Upbeat -- Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (left) conveys his vision for the city during a debate in Jakarta on Jan. 27. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A.)
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mid growing tension in the Jakarta gubernatorial race, Democratic Party patron and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has issued a press statement calling for the neutrality of the government and its various bureaucracies.
Democratic Party deputy secretary-general Rachlan Nashidik confirmed the authenticity of the statement.
“Yes, the press statement is authentic,” he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
“It was signed by Pak Yudhoyono and [Democratic Party secretary-general] Hinca Pandjaitan,” he added.
Dated Jan. 27, the statement, which comprises seven points, opens with the Democratic Party’s concerns over the latest developments in Indonesian society, particularly the political dynamics in the Jakarta election.
“The Democratic Party has observed that the political competition, which should have been run peacefully, fairly and orderly, has moved in the opposite direction,” the Democratic Party says in the statement.
“The people have also observed signs of bias in the state and its bureaucracies along with inappropriate interventions,” it asserted.
The Democratic Party expresses the hope that the Indonesian Military, the National Police and the State Intelligence Agency can stay neutral and abstain from taking the side of any one particular candidate.
In point five, the party calls on law enforcers to refrain from concocting “trumped up charges” against its candidates Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni.
In the statement, the Democratic Party also calls on all volunteers with the Agus campaign to actively guard and secure the candidate and to fight against any form of cheating, intimidation and bias in state bureaucracies.
"Stay alert to the possible presence of people not eligible to vote at polling stations and fight other violations that could sully this election and betray the true choice of the people.”
“All [parties] have the right to remind all societal elements to maintain neutrality in this political contest. I think this normal,” Democratic Party spokesman Dede Yusuf said. (ebf)
