Cameron Bates – Celebrity Julia Perez has lashed out what she considers a government attempt to prevent her from contesting the elections for the head of Pacitan, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's home district.

"It's directed at me," the actress and musician told the Jakarta Globe just hours after Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi told journalists that the government was amending eligibility criteria to make it tougher for potential candidates to run for office.

Though denying the new laws that require candidates to have "enough experience" in politics were aimed at celebrities, Gamawan said the measures were "to avoid people who know nothing about how to lead a region suddenly become district head just because of popularity."

Julia, also known as Jupe, told the Jakarta Globe in flowing English that the tactics were "not fair." "We live in an era of democracy. People have the right to become politicians," she said. "This is supposed to be a democracy. If the government is saying that then clearly this is not right."

Julia maintained that she had secured the backing of eight parties at the district level, including the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), and was "100 percent serious" about contesting the elections.

She said she had formed a campaign team and would visit the city of Pacitan on April 25 for the first time. "This is my mission, to get closer to the people and to visit the tourism objects," she said. Gumawan says its not a popularity contest.