City to clear away political banners
City to clear away political banners
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso reiterated an order to
officials on Tuesday to take down all unlicensed political
banners erected throughout the city over the past few weeks.
Besides detracting from the capital's beauty, the cloth
banners -- hanging on pedestrian bridges, trees, buildings and
lampposts -- had been put up in places in complete disregard of
city regulations, he said.
"People cannot display banners wherever they like because they
have to meet the existing regulations, such as paying levies,"
the governor said.
The banner cleanup campaign had reportedly started several
days ago, according to the governor.
He said a number of banners, many of which blame the banned
Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) for recent or upcoming unrest,
were still in place in several spots of the capital.
Some read "PKI cadres: The mastermind of looting and rioting"
and "Be careful of PKI's involvement in the reform movement". Few
of the anti-PKI messages gave an indication as to who was
responsible for the banner.
One slogan, seemingly erected by the Indonesian Council for
Islamic Propagation (DDI), read "The state is under a threat:
PKI's third rebellion ... September 1998".
PKI was banned in Indonesia following a failed coup attempt on
Sept. 30, 1965.
A large number of banners could still be seen on some of the
city's main thoroughfares, including Jl. Diponegoro, Jl. Veteran,
Jl. Pos, Jl. Menteng Raya in Central Jakarta and Jl. Sultan Agung
in South Jakarta and Jl. Suprapto and Jl. Matraman Raya, East
Jakarta.
The governor claimed that the banners' removal had nothing to
do with the city's efforts to prevent renewed unrest.
"I just see it as a way to beautify the city," Sutiyoso said.
"If we take no action, the city would become a war zone with
banners competing for space to disseminate different political
messages. Could you imagine that?" he asked reporters.
"We're not looking for the people behind the banners. We just
want to keep the city clean," Sutiyoso insisted.
A similar campaign to remove banners occurred in June when
banners calling for the investigation of former president
Soeharto's wealth appeared on the city's streets following the
former president's resignation on May 21. (ind)