Indonesia’s presidential front runner Prabowo skips press freedom event
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Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto at a campaign rally at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Feb 10.
PHOTO: AFP
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JAKARTA - Two of Indonesia’s three presidential contenders pledged to protect press freedom in the world’s third-largest democracy at a weekend event that front runner Prabowo Subianto did not attend.
The event came just days ahead of the Feb 14 polls,
Criticism over political interference has been levelled especially at outgoing President Joko Widodo, who has given tacit support to Mr Prabowo.
In the past, incumbents wrapping up their second term as president have remained neutral.
On the last day of campaigning, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo signed the National Press Council’s written declarations to uphold democracy and press freedom.
It was unclear if Mr Prabowo, represented at the Feb 10 event by the head of his campaign team, signed the declaration. His campaign did not respond to queries on the matter.
Mr Prabowo is projected by some opinion surveys to pip the 50 per cent threshold needed to win the election in a single round.
The former special forces commander, who is making his third run at the presidency, has long faced allegations of rights abuses during his time in the military. He denies the accusations, but critics have questioned his commitment to protecting human rights.
Mr Prabowo’s campaign chief Rosan Roeslani said at the event: “Freedom of the press is something that we absolutely must maintain and improve... because it is one of the spearheads of our democracy.”
He did not explain Mr Prabowo's absence from the event.
Last week, Human Rights Watch said Mr Prabowo did not respond to a questionnaire on key rights issues facing Indonesians, while Mr Anies and Mr Ganjar submitted detailed answers.
Ms Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said: “Two of the main political teams have done Indonesian voters a service by sharing their views.
“Indonesian voters need to know (all candidates’) positions on many important issues that affect them and the communities in which they live.” REUTERS
