REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- National Police stated no instruction ever issued to the regional police on the seizure of #2019GantiPresiden merchandises. Head of National Police Public Relations Mohammad Iqbal said the police have never forbid the people to wear such attributes.

"If it is only a stamp, we did not forbid it. There is no instruction to prohibit it," Iqbal said in Jakarta on Tuesday (April 24).

Earlier, a number of social media accounts reported the sweeping of banner and t-shirt #2019GantiPresiden in several locations by the police. However, the police denied the sweeping.

"We have never done the sweeping as it has no ground regulation," National Police spokesperson Setyo Wasisto said in a seperate location on Tuesday.

Setyo reiterated the police have never seized banners or paid a visit to forbid t-shirt #2019GantiPresiden producers. He said the news circulating in social media was fake news.

"The police officials have never given us the order," he remarked.

According to Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) Rahmat Bagja the movement #2019GantiPresiden was not a form of black campaign. Therefore, the movements to promote the change of president figure are allowed.

"It was a form of logic in democracy, not a black campaign because it did not attack the president in person," Bagja said to the reporters at Bawaslu office, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (April 10).

Bagja said the movement of #2019GantiPresident was just a slogan without any specific program. It could be classified as freedom of expression even if it was initiated by political parties or political figures.

For the same reason, Bawaslu also did not forbid the movement to support reelection of Joko Widodo, namely Golkar Jokowi (Gojo). Similar movements to be allowed until 2019 presidential and vice presidential candidates exist.

"If Gojo is allowed, why #2019GantiPresident is not?" he remarked.

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