Celebrities all doing their bit for democracy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Dangdut singer Machicha Mochtar is earnest in
\nher support for Golkar, believes its presidential candidate B.J.
\nHabibie is an \"intelligent\" enough man to bring progress to the
\nnation, and that Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Wiranto has
\nthe necessary \"fighting spirit\" to help stabilize Indonesian
\npolitics if he was elected vice president.<\/p>\n
\"I support Golkar all the way,\" said the 29-year-old
\ncelebrity, who has so far taken part in 40 Golkar campaigns
\nacross the Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I know what this country needs. It needs to be jerked out of
\nits poverty, with Habibie's help, and made tough, with Wiranto's
\nhelp,\" Machicha said.<\/p>\n
\"Democracy will still take a very long time to come here.
\nLet's just stop being so poor first... I cannot stand the sight
\nof poor children singing stupid songs for money,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Machicha is among a number of celebrities joining political
\nparties in their campaigns.<\/p>\n
Many theater, television and film artists in the capital
\nbelieve their loyalty to certain political parties has a
\n\"logical\" link to democracy. Some think the key to bringing about
\ndemocratization is to educate the public about the meaning of
\npeople's sovereignty.<\/p>\n
Veteran artist Leon Agusta, 61, said he believes that no
\npolitical party in Indonesia now could build a nation on its own.<\/p>\n
\"The children of this nation should realize that they hold the
\nhope, the people's sovereignty, in the palms of their hands,\"
\nLeon said.<\/p>\n
\"The key in making them aware of this is nothing but
\neducation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Out of the 48 political parties contesting the polls, only
\nthe National Mandate Party (PAN) accommodates pluralism,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"PAN is for ethnic pluralism, it's for the pluralism of
\nreligions. Its keyword alone is anak bangsa (children of the
\nnation), which unites all people, however big or small, coming
\nfrom whichever religion, caste or creed,\" Leon said.<\/p>\n
He explained that there were several political parties which
\nused terminologies, phrases and names that gave impressions of \"a
\nbroken people\".<\/p>\n
\"Some parties give themselves labels such as... wong cilik
\n(little people, a term used by the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle). These words depict divisions among people,\" Leon said.<\/p>\n
\"The binding factor should be unity, at all costs.\"<\/p>\n
On the other hand, musician and long-time Golkar cadre Dharma
\nOrat Mangun's idea of democracy is getting people to contribute
\nto a certain concept, and having it applied by the newly elected
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
The man who dreams of a ministry of arts and culture in the
\nnew government, with himself as minister, said that early this
\nyear the ruling party sent its cadres across the country to hold
\ninterviews with scholars, artists in many fields, and cultural
\nobservers on their opinions of such a ministry.<\/p>\n
\"The party has collected practical views and concepts that
\ncould be used to form new rules and regulations. This ministry
\ndream of mine could one day come true,\" Dharma said.<\/p>\n
\"All of this is of course possible only because of the people
\nthe Golkar cadres have spoken with,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, 41-year-old Hetty Koes Endang, who is media adviser
\nand vice coordinator of the arts and culture board of the
\nNational Awakening Party (PKB), said she owed her support to PKB
\nbecause she grew up with the teachings of the Muslim Nahdlatul
\nUlama (NU) organization.<\/p>\n
\"My entire family, everybody related to me, are from NU,\"
\nHetty said.<\/p>\n
\"If in the old days, NU had to acquire recognition via Golkar,
\nthe Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the United Development
\nParty (PPP), today, NU has it's own party, namely PKB,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"Why do I believe in Gus Dur (NU head Abdurrahman Wahid)? He
\nfights to free the Indonesian masses from suffering and poverty.
\nHe is not doing this for his own interests, he fights for the
\npeople.\"<\/p>\n
Hetty said she was amazed that even foreigners sought the
\nadvice of Abdurrahman, and said that only he was the \"true link\"
\nbetween Indonesia and the \"Western world\". \"Only Gus Dur can
\nbring us into the new millennium, believe me.\"<\/p>\n
Hetty explained that Muslim preacher Habib Ali, who speaks at
\nmonthly gatherings at the Bumi Serpong Damai housing complex
\nwhere she lives, had urged her husband, Yusuf Faisal, to give his
\nsupport for PKB.<\/p>\n
\"And we did. My husband is now at PKB's department for
\neconomics, finance and industry,\" Hetty said, laughing. She
\nstressed that everybody should be allowed to participate in
\npolitics, including artists.<\/p>\n
\"Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan was himself an actor. The
\ncurrent Philippines President is an actor. So, why can't we
\nartists play in politics?\"<\/p>\n
Actor Sultan Saladin, 50, said his entrance into the PPP party
\nas a central figure in the arts and culture department had not
\nbeen without struggle.<\/p>\n
During the old regime of former president Soeharto, Sultan had
\nonce been blacklisted as a PPP activist.<\/p>\n
\"While other friends of mine, all PPP sympathizers, opted to
\njoin Golkar in 1987 to avoid harassment from Golkar, I became a
\nPDI supporter,\" Sultan said, adding that he returned to PPP after
\nSoeharto's resignation.<\/p>\n
\"Why? Since the very beginning, PDI and PPP were the parties
\nwhich were always sidelined.\"<\/p>\n
Sultan said that he believed that all PPP leaders could be
\ndepended upon to build a moral society.<\/p>\n
\"This does not mean that we will restrict democracy within
\nsuch a society. This is only the stepping stone to building a
\nfree society with high morals,\" Sultan said.<\/p>\n
\"We will instill this kind of democracy in people... the
\nfreedom to act morally.\" (ylt)<\/p>",
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