DECLARATION OF PEACE MARKS JAKARTA GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN by Fardah

  Jakarta, Oct 29, 2016 (Antara) - The implementation of gubernatorial election in Jakarta has been considered as a barometer of other regional head elections (pilkada) to be held simultaneously in 101 regions across Indonesia on February 15, 2017.

          It is even seen as a miniature of the implementation of democracy in Indonesia in general, according to Chairman of the Jakarta General Election Commission (KPU DKI) Sumarno.

         Therefore, three pairs of Jakarta gubernatorial candidates were requested to sign an inscription of peace declaration to symbolize their commitment to maintaining security and order during their campaign that began on October 28, 2016 and will end on February 11, 2017.

          The candidates signing the inscription were Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni, incumbents Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) and Djarot Saiful Hidayat, and Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno. Members of their success teams also joined the campaign.  
      The declaration was voiced in an event at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta, on October 29, and attended by supporters of the candidates. A decorated vehicle carnival was organized to highlight the declaration.

           The candidates read out the peace declaration text and received props for regional head campaign activities. They have declared their commitment to campaign peacefully and with integrity.

         They and members of their success teams pledged to follow a democratic and peaceful election process with integrity, as well as maintain the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) based on state ideology Pancasila and the UUD 1945 Constitution.

       They will promote the progress of Jakarta and promised to abide by every prevailing regulation.

       Besides, they also promised to accept whatever the results of the pilkada, whether they are elected or not.

           The three pairs of candidates for the posts of governor and vice governor recently received their ballot numbers for the Pilkada 2017.

         Yudhoyono and Murni were allotted ballot number 1, incumbents Purnama alias Ahok and Hidayat received ballot number 2 while Baswedan and Uno were given ballot number 3.

             In the principles of democracy, differences and diversity are not a problem, Sumarno said while kicking off an event of the Declaration of Peace for the 106-day campaign. The declaration of a peaceful campaign aims to prevent conflicts, chaos, and disunity.

          Despite differences and diversity in campaign props, they must remember that they are all residents of Jakarta and must be united within the frame of diversity, he said.

            Furthermore, the commission is committed to implementing an independent election, Commissioner of the National General Elections Commission (KPU) Fery Kurnia said.

          He urged every party to help maintain the unity of Indonesia in order to have a quality pilkada implementation.

          In the meantime, Acting Governor of Jakarta Sumarsono has reminded all bureaucratic elements of the Jakarta Administration to be neutral during the implementation of the Jakarta pilkada process.   Those who were not neutral would be fired.

          He, himself, would keep a distance from the three pairs of the candidates for the sake of neutrality, he said.

           "I belong to the candidate No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, but I have to keep a distance from the three pairs," he said.

            He also called on the candidates and supporters to implement a peaceful pilkada.

            The next gubernatorial election in Jakarta is expected to be both exciting and interesting, since important political figures are sponsoring each candidate pair.

            The three pairs are considered competent, with every candidate having their own characteristics, qualities, and shortcomings. Further, most of them are relatively young, and they represent different races, tribes and religions.

            Ahok and Djarot are supported by former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, who is concurrently chairperson of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDIP).

           The Baswedan-Uno duo has been nominated by ex-presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, who is also chairman of the Gerindra Party.

          The Agus-Sylviana pair is being promoted by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is chairman of the Democratic Party and the father of Agus.

            President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed hope that the Jakarta pilkada, as well as other elections to be simultaneously organized across many regions, will be conducted peacefully and democratically.

            The government has pledged to remain neutral, including in the Jakarta pilkada, said Jokowi, who had paired with Ahok, with the support of PDIP, during the Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2012.

            "The president has said that everything has to run democratically, in choosing a leader who is capable of building  Jakarta, because Jakarta needs a strong leader who has a large commitment to making major contributions for Indonesia to become a great country," Minister/State Secretary Pratikno told the press in Jakarta on September 28.

          The General Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) has reminded the candidates to campaign honestly and avoid money politics or they will have to face disqualification as a consequence.

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(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 29-10-2016 14:56:39