Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who is leading the government's efforts to curb infection rates in nine provinces hardest-hit by COVID-19, said that the National Police, with the help of the Indonesian Military (TNI), could take measures to break up political campaigning and arrest participants who failed to maintain social distancing.

"I have told the National Police chief and head of regional police forces to crack down on [mass gatherings]. I don't want to see an event like the one in Magelang [Central Java] initiated by Gatot and KAMI. That could have an impact [...] that could kill people," Luhut said in an interview shortly before chairing a coordination meeting with the governors of the nine provinces hardest-hit by COVID-19 on Tuesday. Luhut was referring to an event attended by former TNI chief Gatot Nurmantyo, organized by a group of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's critics, which took place over the weekend.

The National Police chief Gen. Idham Azis issued a circular on Monday calling for candidates running in the December regional elections to practice social distancing.

Luhut has been a proponent of a proposal that the President could issue a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) that would allow for the postponement of the regional elections later this year.

However, the administration of President Jokowi and the House of Representatives have insisted on holding the 2020 simultaneous regional elections on Dec. 9 despite the soaring number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

During a hearing at House Commission II overseeing home affairs on Monday, the government and legislators agreed not to postpone the elections on the grounds that the outbreak is still under control.

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