Mega says beware of bribes, as PDI-P hands out cash<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta\/Yogyakarta\/Surakarta<\/p>\n
While observers are warning political parties and the public to
\nbe on the alert for vote-buying, at least one high-profile
\ncandidate is apparently worried by attempts from rival parties to
\nbribe voters.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI-P), President Megawati Soekarnoputri expressed her
\nfeelings on the issue, amid nationwide criticism of her
\nsupporters' ill-mannered behavior. She warned her audience to
\nrepel attempts by rival parties trying to buy them off on the eve
\nof the legislative election on April 5.<\/p>\n
Addressing a cheering crowd of thousands in Bekasi, West Java,
\nMegawati said, \"Say no to money politics, and fight for PDI-P.\"<\/p>\n
In the years under former president Soeharto the \"dawn attack\"
\nwas a popular term referring to supporters of political parties
\ngoing door-to-door on the morning of election day to bribe
\nvoters.<\/p>\n
Megawati, however, seemed completely ignorant of the credible
\nreports that her campaign organizers in Bandung over the weekend
\nwere seen distributing Rp 50,000 notes to each person at a large
\nrally.<\/p>\n
The PDI-P campaign was also marred by reports of PDI-P youths
\nforcefully requesting freebies from local shops.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, the Golkar Party largely refrained from their
\nusual massive convoys, seemingly not wanting to provoke
\nresentment. The previously dominant party in the Soeharto years,
\nhowever, still showed their might by holding indoor campaign
\nrallies in 44 regencies, each attended by an average of 700
\nsupporters, a Golkar official claimed.<\/p>\n
One lively campaign rally on Wednesday took place in South
\nJakarta, where campaigner Rev. Pati Ginting of the Prosperous
\nPeace Party (PDS) entertained and cajoled his audience.<\/p>\n
The prolonged crisis, he said, was not only caused by
\ncorruption, but also because \"the children of God are not free to
\nworship. They're not free to build churches!\" Ginting told some
\n500 party faithful.<\/p>\n
PDS is the only Christian-oriented party that was granted
\neligibility status by the election commission. According to
\ngovernment statistics, Catholics and Protestants make up
\napproximately 10 percent of the country's population.<\/p>\n
Ginting exhorted the people to vote for Christians running for
\nimportant positions in state institutions to ensure that all
\ncitizens could freely practice their religion.<\/p>\n
He said more Christians were needed in legislative bodies to
\nprevent discriminative legislation, apparently a reference to
\nlast year's education bill. A nationwide controversy erupted
\nafter the House of Representatives endorsed the Education Law.
\nMost non-Muslims in the country were outraged because the law
\nrequires all schools to provide religious instruction according
\nto the faith of the students, even at private Christian, Hindu or
\nBuddhist schools, which many Muslims attend citing a higher
\nstandard of education.<\/p>\n
Megawati's brother, Guruh Soekarnoputra in Yogyakarta
\nreiterated PDI-P's intention to win over 50 percent of the votes.
\nHe said the party had enough support to win both the legislative
\nand presidential elections by more than 50 percent.<\/p>\n
In the province's Bantul regency, six PDI-P supporters were
\ninjured after a group of teens allegedly threw stones at their
\nconvoy of vehicles.<\/p>\n
In Surakarta, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) canceled its
\ncampaign due to intimidation against the party's members and
\nsupporters. The decision followed the beating of a PKS supporter,
\nArif Kristanto, reportedly by a PDI-P gang, during a campaign
\nevent on March 18.<\/p>\n
Police also confiscated bottles of liquor during a campaign on
\nWednesday and warned PDI-P to control their unruly red-clad band
\nof ruffians.<\/p>",
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