Parties agree to suspend campaigning on Fridays

BOGOR (JP): All political parties and city authorities agreed here on Wednesday to suspend all campaign activities on Fridays during the May 19 to June 4 election campaign period.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with local authorities, the Independence Vanguard Party's (IPKI) Bogor chairman, Herman, said the decision was jointly made by executives of 43 parties contesting in the area to honor local Muslims, who perform their weekly prayers on Friday afternoons.

"We realize that Muslims are the majority in the Bogor mayoralty, and they hold mass prayers every Friday at the mosques. Therefore, we agree to name May 21, May 28 and June 4 as campaign-free days," said Herman, who earlier read the same joint statement to local authorities.

Forty-eight parties are contesting the June 7 elections.

Herman did not reveal the status of the other five contesting parties.

According to him, executives of the 43 parties also pledged to ensure security in the campaign period and avoid violence.

"We vow not to tear down the pictures of any contesting parties. We also agree to respect the campaigning days of other parties," he added.

In his speech, Bogor Mayor R. Iswara Natanegara told political party representatives to be wary of the potential for conflict in the town.

"Bogor, which is geographically close to the capital Jakarta, has a high possibility for conflict, just like other cities. So, it would be unwise to ignore this fact and neglect to take precautions," Iswara said.

He said a major factor that could lead to violence in Bogor is the presence of "political hoodlums and provocateurs", which are said to have sparked riots in various areas across the country recently.

"One of their main missions is to foil the general election," Iswara said.

He said the presence of political provocateurs "should be stopped as soon as possible, not only by the security officers but also by executives of the political parties as well as the entire community". (24/bsr)