Prabowo Supporters Accuse Elections Commission of Cheating
Supporters of Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno protested in front of the Elections Supervisory Agency, or Bawaslu, office on Jalan M.H. Thamrin in Central Jakarta on Thursday. They were calling for the agency and the General Elections Commission (KPU) to disqualify Prabowo's rival in the presidential election, incumbent president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, for alleged voter fraud.
The protest was organized by Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Kivlan Zein, the former chief of staff of the Indonesian Army's Strategic Command (Kostrad) and activist Eggy Sudjana.
The demonstration caused massive traffic jam on Jalan Thamrin. Police turned on the sirens on their anti-riot trucks and ordered the protesters to leave before 4 p.m. They ignored the police's order and attempted to enter the Bawaslu building. But after 30 minutes, the protesters finally heeded the police warning and left the area.
Most of the demonstrators were older people. Before ending their protest, they sang "Syukur," a famous hymn composed by H. Mutahar, and shouted at police officers who were standing nearby, "The voice of the people is the voice of God! Don't you dare to betray us!"
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