Golkar happy for with new converts<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city chapter of Golkar was elated yesterday.
\nEven though Golkar's victory was hardly breaking news, local
\nexecutives saw each development of tallying across the city's 43
\ndistricts as a telling sign of their efforts, or lack of it.<\/p>\n
Out of the 7.45 million voters in the city, preliminary
\nresults as of 2 p.m. yesterday showed 2.8 million voted for
\nGolkar, 2.1 million for the United Development Party (PPP) and
\nonly 100,020 for the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
Opponents had been concerned about Golkar's financial power
\nand their domination of bureaucracy from neighborhoods on up.
\nTheir ability to provide thousands of free identity cards to
\npeople, had been interpreted by PPP and PDI as a ploy to win more
\nvotes.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Golkar's interpretation -- naturally denying any
\nlinks to vote grabbing -- may provide some insight.<\/p>\n
Nitra Arsyad, a city Golkar executive in charge of analyzing
\nthe electorate, sounded happy with at least two districts
\nswitching to Golkar. His observations late yesterday were based
\non reports from local Golkar executives, but he declined to give
\nany figures as they were not official.<\/p>\n
At least two strongholds of the other contestants, he said,
\nhave become Golkar converts: Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, where
\nPPP won in previous elections; and Kemayoran, Central Jakarta,
\nformerly a PDI base.<\/p>\n
Tanah Abang's outcome was surprising because of a riot in
\nwhich residents, including street vendors, burned down a local
\ndistrict office on Jan. 27. Tanah Abang had been a PPP stronghold
\nsince 1977, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We lost three (of seven) subdistricts,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Nitra said Golkar improved \"communications\" through informal
\nleaders in both areas.<\/p>\n
In Kwitang, Central Jakarta, he said, Golkar had a marked
\nincrease in votes. \"Previously we lacked touch with the local
\nBetawi (Jakarta native) community,\" he said. Golkar's strategy of
\nplacing more candidates of Betawi origin may have won support.<\/p>\n
In Mampang, South Jakarta, an area hit hard by campaign riots,
\nPPP prevailed. Nitra attributed this to the remaining influence
\nof local landlords of Betawi origin linked to Nahdhatul Ulama.<\/p>\n
Nitra says Golkar's victory in other riot-hit areas proves
\npredictions of a conservative reaction to the United Development
\nParty.<\/p>\n
He said tallies dominated by Golkar in Cawang, Klender and
\nBidara Cina \"reflect housewives' desires to have more security\"
\nin the area, which was ravaged by violence during campaigning.<\/p>\n
Support for Golkar in Condet, East Jakarta, he said, \"is
\nconsistent with the rejection of Megawati's office there.\" PDI's
\ncongressionally elected leader Megawati Soekarnoputri had her
\nhome-turned-office closed down by the East Jakarta mayoralty, on
\ngrounds that it was a residential area.<\/p>\n
Another area where Golkar votes drastically decreased, he
\nsaid, was the North Jakarta subdistricts of Pluit in Penjaringan,
\nand Kalibaru in Cilincing.<\/p>\n
Chinese-Indonesian residents in North Jakarta housing estates
\nlikely voted for Golkar, he said, but the large portion of slum
\nresidents \"may have been disgruntled by the river improvement
\nprogram\".<\/p>\n
Yesterday Lukman F. Mokoginta, PDI's city chapter chairman,
\nwas unavailable for comment.<\/p>\n
PPP<\/p>\n
The chairman of the city's chapter of PPP, Rusdi Hamka, said
\nGolkar's victory in the city was \"extraordinary\".<\/p>\n
\"We also received many votes, but they won't mean much,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The stakes for City Council were only 60 out of 75 seats; ABRI
\nmembers will be appointed for the remaining 15.<\/p>\n
\"I'm very disappointed,\" Rusdi said.<\/p>\n
\"We were doing so well (in supporter turnout in campaigns) and
\nour votes increased, but now we'll only get a few seats.\"<\/p>\n
There were many incidents of \"dishonesty\", Rusdi said.<\/p>\n
He said the United Development Party has found cases of civil
\nservants voting twice.<\/p>\n
\"Another example,\" he said, \"is that witnesses had
\ndifficulties in receiving signed minutes of the voting.\"
\n(anr\/ste)<\/p>",
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