Southeast Sulawesi Governor Ali Mazi emphasized in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, on Monday that maintaining regional conduciveness was not the sole responsibility of the police and the TNI but also of all community members.
"I appeal to the people of Southeast Sulawesi to remain calm and patient as they await the election outcome by the KPU, as a state institution assigned the responsibility," Mazi remarked.
Exercising your right to vote is a vital instrument in deciding the nation's leaders for the coming five years along with selecting the public's representatives. The election has concluded, so let us work together in building the region, he stated.
To boost collaboration and coordination, the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police had organized a meeting of regional leadership coordination forums (Forkopimda) involving community leaders.
Religious Community Communication Forum (FKUB), religious organizations, and leaders of political parties, including the Golkar Party, PKS, Working, PKB, and Democrats, were attendees at the meeting.
Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police Chief Brigadier General Iriyanto noted that since the polling day until the plenary stage, vote recapitulation at the sub-district level was held safely, peacefully, and systematically.
Nonetheless, Iriyanto has called on the community, political, and religious leaders to continue to guard and maintain the electoral stages to ensure things go as planned.
In the plenary stage, votes recapitulated for the election of provincial- and district-level legislative candidates could potentially trigger conflicts since the concerned legislative candidates bore witness to the stages of the process.
"We, from the Forkopimda, are striving to reduce conflicts by encouraging space for mediation in case of a misunderstanding," Iriyanto explained.
The police have spotted several issues that have the potential to incite conflicts, including the neutrality of election organizers, fake news spread through social media, and provocative attempts by irresponsible parties.
Translator: Eliswan Azly
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
