Maintaining Conduciveness Ahead of Election

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Theater figure and human rights activist Ratna Sarumpaet (second right, in red vest) arrives on Feb. 28, 2019 at the South Jakarta District Court. Ratna is being tried for spreading fake news.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – All elements of the nation, both government and society, need to hold back and maintain a conducive environment ahead of the April 17, 2019 election. The people’s democratic maturity is urgently needed.

This is vital amid the emergence of the many polemics that could disrupt peace during the election. The latest polemic arose on Thursday morning, when the police arrested Robertus Robet, a lecturer of Jakarta State University (UNJ) and a human rights activist. Robertus was then named as a suspect for allegedly insulting the Indonesian Military (TNI) during a rally at the Istana Merdeka (State Palace) in Central Jakarta, when he sang “The ABRI March” with altered lyrics.