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Police officers ordered to avoid gestures deemed political on photographs
A thumbs-up or victory sign by an officer could cause controversy, as it may be interpreted as showing support for certain candidates in the upcoming presidential election.
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Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Idham Azis (center) greets police officers during his visit to the North Jakarta Police headquarters on Dec. 5. (kompas.com/Ardito Ramadhan D)
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s the presidential election draws near and has begun to divide the nation, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Idham Azis has called on his subordinates to maintain impartiality and avoid making hand gestures while being photographed.
He said hand gesturing could cause controversy, as it may be interpreted as showing support for a certain presidential candidate.
“We should maintain neutrality in the presidential election and legislative election,” he said while on a working visit to the North Jakarta Police headquarters on Wednesday.
“Be careful while taking pictures. Don’t show a [one-finger salute] or [two-finger salute], just [show your fist] a commando salute,” Idham said, as reported by kompas.com.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his running mate, Muslim cleric Ma'ruf Amin, got number 1, while challenger Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno got number 2 for the upcoming presidential election.
He said when police officers were pictured with hand gestures, the pictures would circulate widely across social media.
“We will be [attacked] on social media. We are not afraid of being [attacked], we’re just tired of having to provide clarification,” he said. (fac)
