Police advise delaying gatherings

JAKARTA (JP): The police are advising people to postpone plans for meetings, gatherings or parties during the general election period.

Head of the General Information Department of National Police headquarters Col. Bambang Haryoko recently said these activities were not banned.

"However, it would be better for people to reschedule activities involving large numbers of people," Bambang said.

"This is necessary to avoid problems derived from excessive crowds," Bambang said.

The campaign period is from April 27 to May 23. It will be followed by a cooling down period from May 24 to May 28.

Election day is May 29. Then the three political organizations -- The United Development Party (PPP), Golongan Karya (Golkar) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) -- will compete for the 425 seats in the House.

Bambang said, "People who hold non-campaign activities during the campaign and general election period should follow the police rules on conducting mass activities."

In 1995 the Ministry of Defense and Security and the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a joint directive on activities and permits. This is the foundation on which the police rules were built.

The rules specify which activities need police permission and which just need to be reported to police.

"Public activities involving a large number of people, either indoors or out, require special permits," Bambang said.

Bazaars, festivals, carnivals and attractions that include painting exhibitions or theater performances need permits -- except on private property.

"The theme of the occasion is also taken into account," he said.

If it is a wedding party there is no need to notify police or request police permission.

Other activities which do not need permission, or to be reported are national commemorations, political meetings with less than 10 people, social, cultural, science, workplace and religious meetings.

Police need only to be notified of demonstrations, meetings with party cadres, congresses and "other activities".

The organizers must give the police details of their planned activities.

A Koma theater production by playwright N. Riantiarno that was to be performed from April 25 to May 6, was recently postponed. The Sampek Eng Tay will now be performed at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) arts center from June 15 to 26.

The play was planned to coincide with TIM's 25th anniversary. It is a Koma group tradition to perform old plays for TIM's birthday.

TIM had arranged permits but Riantarno was later told the play must be postponed. TIM staff said BAKIN, the National Intelligence Body, advised TIM to reschedule the play in the "national interest".

Riantiarno said the theater accepted the advice.

"We have no choice but take advantage (of the postponement). We'll have more time to perfect the piece," he said.

Riantarno laughed at a suggestion that it was canceled because his plays poked fun at the government.

"Our titles and themes are always adjusted to existing environments so the audience can easily understand the story. If they make different interpretations it is their right," he said.

In 1989 the same play was banned in Medan after one performance in Jakarta and two in Surabaya.

The various bans of performances and other activities led to the 1995 rule on permits.

People who have bought tickets for play were not angry about the postponement. They had predicted it would not be staged during the election period. (cst)