Internal dispute not to affect PDI poll vote<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government will not let the continuing
\nconflict in the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) affect the
\nparty's performance in the May 29 election, an observer said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Cornelis LAY told The Jakarta Post that the government would
\nseek every avenue to help the Soerjadi-led PDI maintain its
\nperformance in 1992.<\/p>\n
Government intervention, he said, would prove wrong the common
\ntheory that the rift-ridden party would suffer vote drain because
\nof the government-supported overthrow of the party's popular
\nleader Megawati Soekarnoputri last year.<\/p>\n
\"The government-recognized PDI may fail to meet its vote
\ntarget only in several provinces whose open support for Megawati
\nhas been widely covered by the media,\" Cornelis of Yogyakarta's
\nGadjah Mada University said.<\/p>\n
He predicted that the PDI's gains would fall in Central Java,
\nEast Java and Bali, but the government would help improve the
\nsituation by \"producing a remarkable increase in other
\nprovinces\", to show that Megawati's persistent challenge is not
\nserious.<\/p>\n
\"Vote earning in the general election here never reflects real
\nsupport (for a certain political group) by the public, but
\npolitical negotiations,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the government \"granted\" PDI a drastic rise in the
\nnumber of seats at the House of Representatives in 1987, only to
\nmeet the requirement of the House internal rules. The rules
\nstipulate that every House commission should comprise
\nrepresentatives of all the three political groups.<\/p>\n
Cornelis also doubted that the May 29 polls would be free from
\nvote rigging because the government would maintain its control of
\nballot counting.<\/p>\n
The dominant Golkar, PDI and the United Development Party will
\nvie for 425 of 500 House seats in the upcoming general election.<\/p>\n
Megawati, the eldest daughter of first president Sukarno, is
\nbelieved to have millions of grassroot supporters.<\/p>\n
She has yet to decide on which party her supporters will
\nchannel their political aspirations. But loyal Megawati supporter
\nSoetardjo Soerjogoeritno said Megawati would not force her
\nsupporters to use their right to vote.<\/p>\n
The government only recognizes the PDI's list of legislative
\ncandidates submitted by Soerjadi. It excluded Megawati and her
\nloyalists.<\/p>\n
Cultural<\/p>\n
Cornelis said the government would prove that Megawati's
\ninfluence was limited because the general election is a cultural,
\nnot a political, event.<\/p>\n
\"If the poll serves well as a true political mechanism,
\nSoerjadi would probably gain no single seat in the House,\" said
\nCornelis.<\/p>\n
He said the PDI leadership under Soerjadi had trouble
\nselecting its legislative candidates because they lacked support
\nfrom the grassroots.<\/p>\n
\"Voices from the grassroots are deemed a challenge to the
\ngovernment, hence they will be left unheeded,\" Cornelis added.<\/p>\n
The government would do everything to make the election a
\nsuccess, and therefore non-participation is intolerable, he said.<\/p>\n
Each of the previous five general elections exceeded 90
\npercent of registered voters.<\/p>\n
\"The poll boycott issue is not that serious because it has
\ncirculated only around certain groups in cities and among
\nstudents. But it has received full attention from the government
\nwho believe that it will tarnish the election,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The latest survey conducted at the Gadjah Mada University
\nrevealed that 36.6 percent of 500 respondents would shun the
\npoll. Another 11 percent have not yet registered, while 28
\npercent of the respondents said they were doubtful about whether
\nthey would vote or not.<\/p>\n
According to a previous finding by a Malang, East Java youth
\norganization, KNPI, 85 percent of local students would abstain
\nInternal dispute not to affect PDI poll votefrom the election. (amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/internal-dispute-not-to-affect-pdi-poll-vote-1447893297",
"image": ""
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