Djarot`s Impromptu Campaign Visit to Continue During Nov.4 Rally

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Incumbent candidate for Jakarta deputy gubernor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said that he will continue with his impromptu walkabout campaign plans during November 4 protest.

Djarot said that he doesn't have any security measure put in place to anticipate tomorrow’s rally. The impromptu visit would allow him to understand problems faced by residents, he said.

“No problem. Impromptu visit will continue on November 4, there will be no break. My children will still be going to school as usual,” Djarot said Wednesday at Pasar Rebo in East Jakarta.

Djarot explained that state officials, such as President Jokowi and the National Armed Forces (TNI) commander, have warned against violence. He said that people are free to stage a rally because Indonesia is a democracy. Djarot, however, has called for calm. “Scaremongering is ripe on online [platforms],” he said.

Muslim groups from several regions in Indonesia will gather in Jakarta on Friday, November 4, to hold a protest against inactive Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s alleged blasphemy remarks.

Tempo reported on Sunday, October 30, that the National Movement to Defend the MUI Fatwa (GNPF-MUI) coordinator Munarman had urged President Joko Widodo to arrest Ahok on blasphemy charge under article 156 A of the criminal code. He had also accused the President of protecting Ahok.

LANI DIANA