Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) -- The Indonesian Army has expressed its readiness to provide security for the regional head elections to be conducted simultaneously on December 9.

"The Indonesian army is ready to assist the police in providing security to conduct these elections," Chief of Staff of the Army General Mulyono said here on Tuesday.

In addition, the Indonesian military will assist the police in detecting any threats during the election process.

"With such an effort, the elections can be held in a proper and safe manner," he said.

Moreover, the Bali Military Command (Kodam Udayana) and the police have an important role to play to ensure security during the election process so that the tourists can feel safe and comfortable.

"The military and the police are ready to cooperate to ensure proper implementation of the election process," he affirmed.

Mulyono believed that people will help maintain a conducive situation in Bali.

Earlier, the Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR), Oesman Sapta Odang, said he expected that the simultaneously conducted regional elections will help improve the quality of democracy in various regions of the country.

"We hope that the simultaneous regional elections can improve the quality of democracy in Indonesia," Oesman Sapta Odang said in a press statement received here on Monday.

He pointed out that according to Article 18, Paragraph 4 of the Constitution, the regional heads should be elected democratically as part of the efforts to reinforce and strengthen the sovereignty of the people.

"There is still room for improvement in conducting these regional elections. Therefore, I urge all stakeholders to give their inputs to the MPR," he stressed.

He further remarked that the elections should also strengthen Indonesias spirit of Unity in Diversity.

"The elections should uphold democracy in accordance with the values of the state ideology--Pancasila," he said.

Also, the Indonesian Police has said it will deploy 135,672 officers to ensure security during the simultaneous regional head elections (Pilkada) slated for December 9.

The police personnel will be drawn from a total of 31 provincial police offices across the country, the National Police Headquarters Operation Assistant, Inspector General Unggung Cahyono, stated on Thursday.

The National Police had organized a mock security drill to prepare for the local elections by involving all the provincial police officers in the country, except those in Aceh Province.

Cahyono remarked that the National Police Chief, General Badrodin Haiti, had instructed every police office at the provincial, district, and city level, along with the polices Mobile Brigade to be prepared to ensure security for the regional head elections.

The National Police Headquarters will also enlist another 3.5 thousand personnel as reserves to be deployed in case of any potential conflict.

The police have also drawn a map of the conflict-prone regions in conjunction with the local elections.

(UU.A063/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE
(UU.A063/A/KR-BSR/B003)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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