A joint security force is bracing for rallies that could break out during the first hearing of the challenge to the 2019 presidential election result at the Constitutional Court in Central Jakarta on Friday, amid concerns that more rallies will trigger riots in the capital.

The National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) plan to deploy thousands of personnel to secure the court and its surrounding areas, while the Jakarta Traffic Police introduced a traffic detour in the area on Thursday night.

National Police chief Tito Karnavian said the joint security force also devised a plan for the worst-case scenario.

“[Up to] 17,000 police personnel from Jakarta and other regions will be on standby,” he said after a joint security briefing at the National Monument (Monas) compound in Central Jakarta on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the TNI prepared thousands of soldiers to ensure that the court remains undisturbed by any mass rallies that might occur.

The number of personnel deployed to the court on the day would depend on the situation, the police chief said.

Separately, the court’s spokesperson, Fajar Laksono, said the police would assign a set number of personnel to guard each of the justices during their daily activities in the lead up to the hearing.

The police, he said, would also secure the families’ homes, both in Jakarta and outside the city.

“We have talked to the police as some personnel will be attached to the justices for extra security,” Fajar said on Thursday.

About 200 members of the Army and police personnel have been guarding the court 24 hours a day for the past few days.

Similar to what was done at the General Elections Commission (KPU) and Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) buildings following the general election, security officers set up barbed-wire fences in front of the court building’s main gate facing Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat.

Small groups of protesters held rallies in front of the building days ahead of the first hearing, calling for the court’s independence.

Justice I Gede Palguna said the court would allow the public to watch the hearing via television broadcast and live streams for transparency purposes.

“We will definitely be independent and impartial. How to make sure of this is easy: follow the proceedings, assess the legal aspects, then compare them with the ruling,” Palguna said.

Measures to bolster security will also take place elsewhere in the country, with local police chiefs and military officers urging civilians to maintain peace in their respective regions.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Agus Andrianto urged locals to avoid taking part in demonstrations in Jakarta and called on everyone to maintain order.

“If the situation is secure and peaceful, then all parties, particularly locals, will be happy and calm in carrying out their activities,” he said after a TNI-North Sumatra Police meeting in Benteng Medan, North Sumatra.

A West Java forum on leadership called on residents to remain in the province and monitor the hearing from afar.

Elsewhere, South Sumatra Police chief Zulkarnain Adinegara said the local police would focus on securing Sriwijaya University in Palembang, which plans to host a live teleconference for the hearing on campus.

Earlier on Tuesday evening, losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto told his supporters to stay away from the Constitutional Court to prevent another postelection riot.

“If you are a Prabowo-Sandiaga [Uno] supporter, then you don’t need to go to the court,” Prabowo said in a five-minute video posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

He asked supporters to trust the court and accept its decision with “maturity, calmness and consideration for national interests” as he and running mate Sandiaga Uno were challenging the election results through legal and constitutional means.

Supporter group 212 Alumni Brotherhood (PA 212), however, chose not to forbid its supporters from expressing themselves during the hearing, according to spokesman Novel Bamukmin.

“[Freedom of speech] is protected under the law as long as it is done in a peaceful manner,” he told The Jakarta Post.

A recent study that assessed the court’s performance between 2004 and 2016 found no statistical evidence of political influence in the court’s decisions for or against the government in high-profile cases. (awa/bry)

—Yulia Savitri in Palembang contributed to the report

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