May 22 Rally; Police Give Protesters Until Tarawih Ends

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The police gave the May 22 protesters until the end of Tarawih prayers to stage their rally in front of the General Election Commission (KPU) building and the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu). Failing to comply with this instruction will result in the protest being disbanded by the police. 

"They can hold the protest until the end of the day's Tarawih prayers. That is the time that the authority will tolerate," The National Police's chief of Public Information Bureau Brig. Gen. Dedi Prasetyo told reporters, Tuesday, 21 Mei.

This time window is quite lenient, as the police usually limit demonstrations and protest rallies to 18:00 at the latest.

Dedi also said that protesters are forbidden to camp at the location, and urged them to go home or stay at mosques. 

He demanded protesters to abide the rule, as they must respect the rights of other people. 

Supporters of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Sandiaga Uno plan to hold a rally in protest of the election's result. As reported, the KPU has announced incumbent Joko Widodo and his running mate Ma'ruf Amin as winners of the 2019 presidential elections last night. 

Ahead of the announcement of the elections winner announcement, the police set Jakarta's status at standby 1 (Siaga 1) in a bid to notify security personnel to raise alert. He appealed to the public not to panic and conduct their routines as usual.

"The TNI and the National Police guarantee the security in Jakarta," he said.

M Rosseno Aji

Read: Plaza Indonesia Closes Doors in Anticipation of May 22 Rally