Sutiyoso orders districts to monitor visitors' activities
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso on Thursday ordered all of the city's 265 subdistrict heads and 43 district chiefs to monitor both the anti- and pro-President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid supporters who were staying at 44 spots in the city's five mayoralties.
"From now until April 30 you will have to stay alert, watch these places and report on developments to your superiors," Sutiyoso told the officials during a meeting at City Hall.
He cited the Asshiddiqiyah Islamic Boarding School in West Jakarta as a site hosting the President's supporters and the Pol Tangan area in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta as hosting the anti- Gus Dur forces, led by Habib (Muslim leader) Hussein Al-Habsyi.
The governor revealed that the city chapter of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization would deploy 25,000 supporters for the istighotsah (mass prayer) at the Bung Karno Sports Stadium in Central Jakarta on April, 29.
"I have received reports on the real number of the President's supporters and his opponents. I hope you can report the number of supporters of both camps in your respective areas," Sutiyoso said.
It has been widely reported that hundreds of thousands of NU members, once led by Abdurrahman, will flock to the capital for the mass prayer on Sunday. The prayer is slated for one day ahead of the House of Representatives plenary session which will likely issue a second memorandum of censure against the President.
Although the city council will also hold its plenary session to give a final opinion on the governor's statement of accountability, Sutiyoso asked that the officials pay more attention to the two national political events.
"We should be more concerned with the national interest. If the statement of accountability is rejected, we still have one month to improve on it," he said.
Sutiyoso ordered the officials to erect banners to courteously welcome the mass prayer participants and avoid any banners that could be interpreted as challenging them to commit violent or chaotic acts.
According to city administration data, supporters of the President have booked hundreds of rooms in several hotels in the city for an indefinite period from Saturday onwards.
Several rooms of the Hotel Djody on Jl. Jaksa in Central Jakarta have been reserved for 100 Gus Dur supporters from East Java, while another 100 supporters have reserved rooms in the Nirwana Hotel in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta.
The President's supporters have also booked rooms in the Hotel Sari Pan Pasifik and Hotel President on Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta, and 300 rooms in the Wisma PHI, also in Central Jakarta.
The administration has also received information that thousands of the President's supporters from Lamongan, Jombang, Mojokerto and Bojonegoro have purchased tickets to Jakarta to join the mass prayer.
At least 7,000 police officers, including 1,900 Banpol civilian police auxiliaries, will be deployed to help the police in securing the capital against possible unrest.
Sutiyoso said on Thursday that the officers would prioritize security for foreign diplomats.
"They will be escorted from their offices to their respective residences," he said.
Separately, city council Speaker Edy Waluyo called on Jakarta residents to remain calm and continue with their activities despite the current political tension.
"We also call on migrants to keep alert to possible provocation from any parties intent on creating disorder," Edy told reporters.
He supported the issuance of the shoot-on-sight order against rioters, but suggested that any such action be conducted in accordance with the procedures. (jun)