City unable to guarantee security during campaign

JAKARTA (JP): Authorities have said they are unable to guarantee the security of the city during the upcoming campaign period and the June 7 general election.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso and City Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djadja Suparman told businesspeople and executives from political parties at a gathering at City Hall, security personnel were limited in comparison to the large coverage area and the number of supporters joining party campaigns.

"It will be very difficult for us to guarantee that something (bad) won't happen (during the campaign period) because all of us are just human beings... But most certainly we will do our best to guard the city," Sutiyoso said on Wednesday night.

A similar view was expressed by Djadja: "We can't give you a guarantee of the city's security."

Due to the limited availability of security officers, both Sutiyoso and Djadja called for the participation of the public in safeguarding the city.

"By our togetherness we can guarantee safety," Djadja said in answer to questions raised by members of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Jakarta).

The possibility of riots prior and during the polling period has forced owners of shopping complexes, banks and other businesses to install high fences and barbed wire around their buildings.

There are reports that scores of rich people, mostly Chinese- Indonesians -- whose number, according to Kadin Jakarta's chairman Pungky Bambang Purwadi, has reached 25,000 -- have left the country to avoid possible riots.

Chinese-Indonesians have been the target of recent riots, most notably during last year's May riots in the city. According to the National Commission on Human Rights, at least 1,188 people died and thousands of shops, vehicles and homes were attacked, burned and looted during the chaos.

Sutiyoso said peoples' fears were baseless.

"Such an action (leaving the country) shows their lack of nationalistic spirit," he said.

On Tuesday, Jakarta Police chief of the center of operations and control Soenarko D.A., said 62,532 security officers would be deployed to safeguard campaign activities and the polls. That number will be backed up by 39,952 members of the People's Security civilian force.

The campaign activities are scheduled to start on May 19 and end on June 4.

Another 1,600 police officers would be ordered to stand by at city police headquarters and 10,000 additional soldiers would be on standby at city military headquarters, he said.

Under the deployment order, the security personnel would be posted mainly at business centers, presidential palace areas and housing complexes, he said.

Soenarko said city police would prohibit party supporters from entering streets prone to possible clashes, such as shopping complexes or main thoroughfares.

Soenarko also said activities likely to attract a large turnout, such as music performances, would be restricted 10 to seven days before the campaign period. (ind)