Indonesian police on high alert ahead of Jakarta vote

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) - Police in Jakarta were placed on high alert Monday ahead of the city’s gubernatorial election after a campaign riven by sectarianism.

Around 36,000 officers are due to be on duty to safeguard polling stations and key buildings, National Police Chief Tito Karnavian told local media.

“The police will be all out keeping the security,” he was quoted as saying in the kompas.com news website.

Up to 28,000 military personnel are expected to be on duty as well, local media said, quoting Jakarta’s military commander Maj. Gen. Jaswandi, who follows the Indonesian practice of using one name.

Wednesday’s run-off vote is between the incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is an ethnic Chinese Christian, and former Education Minister Anies Baswedan, a Muslim.

Violence and protests marked campaigning before an initial vote in February as Muslims protested against Purnama, who has been accused of blasphemy in a criminal case where the verdict has been delayed until Thursday.

Purnama, who has apologized for his comments and denied any wrongdoing, faces up to five years’ imprisonment if convicted.

Karnavian said “mass entry into Jakarta” would be banned on election day amid plans by some groups to send supporters to “guard” around 13,000 polling stations in what Karnavian said could be an attempt to intimidate voters.

“Do not gather the masses, whatever the reason, at the polls,” he said. “If that happens, we will take firm action.”

He urged police outside the capital to arrest suspected protesters leaving for Jakarta.

Opinion polls have put the two candidates close with around 5 percent of voters undecided.

The main group that has protested against Purnama, Tamasya Al-Maidah, said around a million supporters would flock to Jakarta for the election.

However, coordinator Ansufri Sambo denied they would intimidate voters. “We will prove it later,” he told Anadolu Agency. “There is no intimidating plan for voters. We just want to help the authorities [against] people who will make chaos and fraud at the polls.”

The winner will run Jakarta for five years in a post that was previously held by President Joko Widodo.