Major gatherings curbed in run up to election
Major gatherings curbed in run up to election
JAKARTA (JP): The government has restricted major gatherings
by political and social organizations in the run up to the May
general election, calling on local administrators to issue
permits sparingly.
"Governors, regents and mayors are ordered to postpone any
meeting, congress or seminar organized by sociopolitical and mass
organizations which involve a large crowd of people until after
the election," the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.
The order was made by Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie
S.M. in a circular distributed to all provincial and regency-
level administrations throughout the country, the statement said.
Any activity that could incite social unrest and disturb
public order should be postponed, it said. It did not specify any
size when describing the gatherings.
The restrictions should be observed particularly from one week
before the election campaign period to one week after polling
day, it added.
The order was contained in a ministerial decree signed in
October. Its existence was only disclosed yesterday.
The three political organizations -- the dominant Golkar, the
United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party --
will contest 425 of the 500 seats in the House of
Representatives. The remaining 75 seats are reserved for the
Armed Forces, whose members do not vote in the election.
The campaigning period is from April 27 to May 23; this will
be followed by a five-day cooling-off period. Polling is slated
for May 29.
The restriction also applies to research activities involving
a large number of people.
However, research or field surveys that do not involve the
masses and are unlikely to cause unrest and public disorder are
exempt from the restriction, it said.
Governors, regents and mayors also head the local general
election committees in their respective areas. They are therefore
empowered with the authority to ban any meeting -- political,
social or even academic -- in their jurisdiction if it is
perceived to threaten the general election. (imn)