REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, YOGYAKARTA -- Hundreds of supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) sealed the Yogyakarta office of private TV station TV One on Wednesday night for allegedly having broadcast a report that cornered the party.
A supporter of PDIP, Foki Ardiyanto, said here on Thursday that the anger of the crowd peaked after watching a broadcast of TV One which mentioned that a cadre of PDIP belonged to the abortive Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
"The PDIP crowd wants the TV One to clarify its report on the matter and apologize to all PDIP cadres," Ariyanto said.
Besides sealing the TV One office, the protesters also did graffiti action expressing their pique and anger, saying that PDIP cadres were not communists.
TV One Bureau chief for Yoyakarta Hendrawan said during the incident his office was vacant. Reporters and employees when the PDIP supporters came were all in the field to carry out their tasks.
"We have earlier heard that they would attack us but we did not believe it. But eventually violence against the media took place," he said.
He said that his side had coordinated with the Yoyakarta police and the TV One headquarters in Jakarta with regard to the event.
PDIP is the leader of political party coalition that nominates Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Jusuf Kalla (JK) as presidential and vice presidential candidate in the upcoming presidential elections.
Indonesia will organize a presidential election on July 9, 2014, which will be contested by two pairs: Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla.
Prabowo Subianto is a retired military general and the founder of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), while his running mate, Hatta Rajasa, is a former coordinating minister for economic affairs and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN).
Jokowi is Jakarta's governor and a cadre of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), while his running mate, Jusuf Kalla, is a former vice president and a senior politician of the Golkar Party.
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