Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto urged all regional governments, civil servants, and security apparatuses to maintain their neutrality for ensuring peaceful general elections.

The impartiality and neutrality should also be implemented by the General Elections Commission (KPU) and Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), he spoke at a live-streaming Jakarta-Makassar conference on Monday.

Considering the importance of the people`s role in making the convening of the 2019 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections get a success, Wiranto urged all Indonesian citizens across the country to take part in creating a conducive condition.

He also expressed a hope that all elements of the society in South Sulawesi Province also contribute to the nation`s collective efforts to create the community order and security situation.

"The community order and security situation will ensure the whole processes of the 2019 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections will run peacefully and smoothly without any disturbances," he said.

During the live-streaming Jakarta-Makassar conference, Wiranto was accompanied by National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian, Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto, and Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo.

"Security is an absolute requirement for making the general elections run peacefully and smoothly. Therefore, local security apparatuses must understand their duties and areas of duties," he said, adding that the practices of money politics must be prevented.

The regional governments and security apparatuses should be able to prevent unexpected eventualities from occurring because the preventive measures are much better and more effective than curative measures, he said.

The 2019 parliamentary and presidential election campaigns kicked off on Sunday.

During the peaceful election campaign declaration, held in Jakarta on Sunday, the KPU Chairman, Arief Budiman, said the election campaigns should be made free from the spread of fake news and hate speeches pertaining to ethnicity, religion, race and inter-group relations (SARA).

He then conveyed three important points of the peaceful election campaigns, namely "implementing a direct, free, and fair election; conducting secure, peaceful, orderly, and integrated election campaigns; and doing the campaigns by respecting laws."

The second point of the peaceful election campaign declaration also underlines a pledge to conduct the campaigns by avoiding the practices of money politics, spread of fake news, and politicizing "SARA" issues.

The country`s political elites contesting in the 2019 Parliamentary and Presidential Elections are expected to respect the three points of the declaration they had made.

The live-streaming Jakarta-Makassar conference was attended by, among others, Deputy South Sulawesi Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman, Head of South Sulawesi Province`s General Elections Commission Misna Attas, and South Sulawesi Police Chief Inspector General Umar Septono.

Reporting by Muh. Hasanuddin
Editing by Rahmad Nasution

Reporter: Antara
Editor: Otniel Tamindael
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