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Banners countering hate speech taken down
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A banner reading “Jakartans have had enough of SARA [ethnicity, religion and race] issues” is seen near the entrance to the Blok M bus terminal in South Jakarta on Tuesday. (tribunnews.com /Rizal Bomantama)
T
he elections watchdog has been quick to take down banners proclaiming that Jakartans have had enough of efforts to raise religious, ethnic and racial (SARA) issues in campaigns around the Jakarta gubernatorial election.
Following a number of hateful banners directed at incumbent candidate Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama that were erected recently, the city is now seeing banners countering the raising of SARA issues, some of which read "Jakartans have had enough of ethnic, religious and racial issues" popping up in several strategic areas in the capital.
Some of the banners were installed on pedestrian bridges near Bank Indonesia and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, both in Central Jakarta, and in Slipi Jaya, West Jakarta.
Aside from those places, the banners were also found on a gate near Grogol toll road, West Jakarta, and the entrance gate of Blok M terminal, South Jakarta.
Some of them were taken down on Wednesday afternoon by the Jakarta Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) in cooperation with the city's Public Order Agency (Satpol PP).
"We have been contacted by Satpol PP to take down the banners," Bawaslu chairwoman Mimah Susanti told The Jakarta Post. "The banners actually did not violate any election regulations although they were put up at a time when the political atmosphere is quite hot. However, they were installed without permits from city officials."
In contrast to their speedy removal of the new banners, Jakarta election authorities were widely criticized for their slow response toward the recent emergence of hate banners.
