Artists fail to boost Wiranto's rally<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Medan\/Palu\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Beautiful starlets did their best to liven up the only open-air
\nrally of presidential candidate Gen. (ret) Wiranto in the capital
\non Sunday, but the venue, the country's main sports stadium, was
\nleft half-empty. The 100,000-seat Bung Karno Sports Stadium was
\nbarely filled to half its capacity, despite appearances by
\ncelebrities such as singer\/film star Sarah Azhari and singer
\nSilvana Herman.<\/p>\n
Gen. (ret) Fachrul Razi, deputy chairman of the Wiranto-
\nSolahuddin Wahid campaign team, admitted that the campaign fell
\nshort of expectations. \"The campaign is running well, but not
\noptimally. We hope it will improve,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Solahuddin was absent but colleagues from the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB) such as Alwi Shihab showed support, as well
\nas party leaders Akbar Tandjung of Golkar, Ryaas Rasyid of the
\nUnited Democratic Nationhood Party (PDK) and Golkar campaign team
\nchairman Slamet Effendi Yusuf.<\/p>\n
PKB has officially endorsed Wiranto and Solahuddin, a noted
\ncleric from the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul
\nUlama, which forms the main basis of the party.<\/p>\n
Apart from Wiranto, another presidential candidate, Vice
\nPresident Hamzah Haz, also staged a rally with relatively
\nfewer supporters compared with the party rallies during April's
\nlegislative election campaign. Some have attributed Jakarta's
\nlack of enthusiasm partly to election fatigue.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, some participants at Wiranto's rally acknowledged
\nthey did not need to spend money on transportation and meals, and
\ngot T-shirts free, too.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know if I'll get paid; a coordinator did list our
\nnames before we left on buses,\" said Budi, from East Cengkareng,
\nWest Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Central Jakarta election supervisory committee official Dedi
\nSuhardadi said organizers had committed an offense because many
\nchildren were seen wearing symbols of the candidates. The
\ninvolvement of children in campaigns is not permissible under
\ncampaign rules.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidate
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri urged supporters in Bantul, Yogyakarta on
\nSunday to help them win in the July 5 election. Further
\ncompetition in a runoff, expected in September should no
\ncandidate win a majority of the vote, would be energy-consuming,
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, she visited Yogyakarta's Beringharjo
\nmarket and chatted with farmers and fishermen \"in her capacity as
\npresident,\" handlers said. She left Yogyakarta in the afternoon
\nfor similar activities in Madiun, East Java.<\/p>\n
Also on Sunday, National Mandate Party (PAN) candidate Amien
\nRais and his running mate Siswono Yudohusodo greeted supporters
\nin Medan, North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Thousands, including those from the Prosperous Justice Party
\n(PKS), showed support. The PKS leadership has yet to disclose
\nwhether it will endorse Wiranto or Amien. Ikrimah Hamidy,
\nchairman of the PKS Medan chapter, said that PKS members in Medan
\nsupported Amien and Siswono. Amien, a professor in international
\nrelations, also met nearly 1,000 teachers in Medan.<\/p>\n
In Palu, Central Sulawesi, Jusuf Kalla, running mate of
\nDemocratic Party candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also
\ncampaigned on Sunday. He visited Manonda market and talked with
\ntraders, mostly of Bugis descent. Some vendors protested when
\nKalla supporters stamped on their produce. \"You can meet Pak
\nKalla, but don't step on my tomatoes,\" a woman shouted.<\/p>\n
Kalla then campaigned on air at public broadcasters TVRI
\ntelevision and RRI radio stations. Addressing a rally at the
\nVatulemo field, he said that being born in Sulawesi he knew best
\nthe conditions in Sulawesi and eastern Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Agum Gumelar, the running mate of Hamzah Haz, visited
\nMakassar, South Sulawesi, on Saturday and campaigned in the
\nregency of Jeneponto, some 120 kilometers south of Makassar.<\/p>\n
He declined a request to sign a contract with locals, but
\npledged that he would carry out his programs if elected. \"Social
\ncontracts\" are becoming popular in a number of areas as a last
\nresort of citizens trying to ensure leaders fulfill promises made
\nduring campaigning.<\/p>",
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