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Calls ring out for peaceful elections
Pilgrimage: President Joko Widodo walks out of the ka’ba at Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Monday
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ilgrimage: President Joko Widodo walks out of the ka’ba at Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Monday. The President and his family embarked on an umrah (minor haj) ahead of the presidential election on Wednesday.(Antara/Setpres/Laily Rachev)
After months of campaigning, presidential and vice-presidential candidates are filling the three-day cooling-off period from Sunday to Tuesday with religious or traditional activities before voting day on Wednesday.
Incumbent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is currently in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for an umrah (minor haj) with his wife Iriana and sons Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Kaesang Pangarep.
He flew to Mecca after the final presidential debate on Saturday evening. His running mate, Ma’ruf Amin, is spending the time with his family.
Meanwhile, challenger Prabowo Subianto visited on Sunday the grave of his father, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, a renowned economist during the New Order era. His running mate, Sandiaga Uno, accompanied by his wife, is also currently in Mecca on pilgrimage.
Election authorities have barred candidates and their teams from campaigning during the cooling-off period.
Some 190 million eligible voters are expected to cast their ballot to elect a president and legislative members in the country’s first concurrent elections on Wednesday.
Authorities have beefed up security ahead of voting day, while prominent figures are calling on the public to maintain peace throughout the process.
On Monday, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Minister Wiranto assured voters they would remain safe.
“Voters won’t need to feel intimidated. Security forces are maximizing their efforts,” he said.
Wiranto also urged supporters of each presidential candidate to obey the law.
“Let’s celebrate the elections with [high spirits],” he added.
Prabowo Subianto extends congratulations to graduates at Universitas Kebangsaan Republik Indonesia (UKRI) in Bogor, West Java, on Monday.(Prabowo-Sandiaga camapign team)" title="Election buildup: Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto extends congratulations to graduates at Universitas Kebangsaan Republik Indonesia (UKRI) in Bogor, West Java, on Monday.(Prabowo-Sandiaga camapign team)" width="780" height="559" border="0">
National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian further gave an assurance that he had not received any reports about incidents impeding the election process.
“Two days more to go; we are convinced that we have security measures under control,” he said on Monday, adding that police nationwide were prepared to stand guard and ensure voters’ safety on Wednesday.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, around 12,000 police personnel will be deployed to secure at least 26,000 polling stations.
They will be supported by 780 Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel and 51,000 Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers.
According to Makassar Police chief Insp. Gen. Hamidin, at least 2,500 polling stations out of the total 26,348 were considered prone to fraud, conflicts and social unrest.
Meanwhile, in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), local authorities have paid extra attention to at least 6,000 out of 15,988 polling stations on the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa that may be prone to fraud and conflicts, according to the local chapter of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu). NTB Bawaslu head M. Khuwailid said the agency had recruited hundreds of volunteers to monitor voting day.
In East Kalimantan, a military helicopter was requested by the regional elections agency to transport 162 polling booths to remote areas in the province to ensure a timely delivery.
Meanwhile, a bag of ballots meant for West Sumatra was found in Kampar, Riau.
Local election authorities have secured the bag, which reportedly contained ballots for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and the House of Representatives elections, and contacted their West Sumatra counterparts to retrieve them.
The local elections commission of East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), ensured on Monday that ballots would be distributed to the region’s remote areas by Tuesday.
Academics and religious figures across the nation have called on the public to maintain peace on Wednesday.
Various universities in Yogyakarta have made a joint declaration to express their support for transparent, fair and peaceful elections.
Meanwhile, students and representatives of universities from across South Sumatra also called on election authorities to maintain a high level of integrity throughout the voting process.
“No one should be allowed to sacrifice the nation’s unity and diversity so their preferred candidates will win,” said Gadjah Mada University (UGM) rector Panut Mulyono.
Meanwhile, the country’s second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, reminded the public to be responsible in exercising their voting right.
Muhammadiyah chairman Haedar Nashir particularly urged voters to avoid vote buying.
“[Every Indonesian] should stay away from the slightest provocation that may harm our nation,” he said. (das)
— Andi Hajramurni in Makassar, Panca Nugraha in Mataram, N. Adri in Balikpapan, Rizal Harahap in Pekanbaru, Yulia Savitri in Palembang, markus makur in east manggarai, and Bambang Muryanto in Yogyakarta contributed to the story
