Road menace: Motorists driving past party flags placed on bicycle lane barriers in Menteng, Jakarta. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
Elections watchdogs and members of the public have called for more order and restraint in the placement of campaign flags and banners in response to a series of recent road accidents caused by falling campaign materials.
On Monday, a campaign banner for House of Representatives candidate Ilma Sovri Yanti of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), who is seeking the Jakarta I electoral district’s seat, fell on a man and a woman riding a motorcycle in Cakung, East Jakarta.
The banner, which had been put up on the side of the street, was reportedly knocked down by a gust of wind and caused the two victims to fall off their motorbikes. The man sustained a minor injury to his leg while the woman suffered a mild concussion, Ilma said after visiting them at their home, kompas.com reported.
The legislative candidate offered to pay for their treatment. Following the incident, the Cakung Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) instructed Ilma and other candidates to take down some of their campaign banners as their numbers had been excessive in the past few months.
The incident was the latest of several road accidents caused by falling campaign banners, including at least one that resulted in death.
Earlier in January, a vocational high school student in Kebumen, Central Java, died after being struck by a falling campaign banner on a road connecting the regency to neighbouring Banyumas.
She was riding a motorcycle with her friend as a passenger at the time of the accident. Her friend was injured and was treated at a nearby hospital.
Elections watchdog the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) blamed the incidents on negligence from the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) and the local branch of the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) for allowing an excessive number of campaign banners to be put up and remain unchecked.
Pedestrians and motorists have expressed concern about both the safety and aesthetics of the profusion of campaign posters.
“We’ve seen so many scattered banners, sometimes on sidewalks, and on overpasses where the bamboo sticks (used to support them can) break,” a motorcycle taxi driver said. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
