Mega to tour regions before campaign<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A week before the March 11 campaign period kicks off, President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri is slated to tour several provinces for
\nworking visits, but will spare one or two hours on each visit to
\nmeet her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) members.<\/p>\n
Megawati will start her week-long journey on Wednesday with
\nvisits to South Sulawesi and Maluku, where she is also scheduled
\nto attend a gathering with PDI-P supporters.<\/p>\n
The President is also the PDI-P leader, which is gunning to
\nwin the April 5 general election as it did in 1999.<\/p>\n
Campaigning will end on April 1, followed by three-day
\ncooling-off period.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, after visiting the quake-devastated district of
\nNabire in Papua, Megawati is slated to inaugurate a PDI-P branch
\noffice there.<\/p>\n
\"Up through March 10, the President will have a busy schedule
\nvisiting regions across the country. Some party events will be
\nsqueezed into the schedule,\" a presidential palace official told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Over the weekend, the President is slated to visit West Java
\nand the war-torn province of Aceh. Further visits to Central
\nJava, South Sumatra and Riau will be made next week.<\/p>\n
The General Elections Commission (KPU) has asked all parties
\nto refrain from any activities to entice new voters.<\/p>\n
All government officials will be banned from using state
\nfacilities when they campaign for their respective parties,
\nexcept for the president's security detail, as well as that of
\nthe vice president and members of their families.<\/p>\n
Megawati's husband Taufik Kiemas will also be busy touring the
\ncountry during the campaign period and he will make use of the
\nsecurity detail provided for him.<\/p>\n
PDI-P secretary general Soetjipto said that Megawati's
\nactivities should not be an issue, as she was still the President
\nand to do her duties by visiting regions.<\/p>\n
\"There is no problem just as current practice she will
\ncontinue to be on standby during the campaign period,\" Soetjipto
\nremarked.<\/p>\n
The party has prepared around 600 national campaigners for the
\n20-day campaign period, before the legislative election on April
\n5.<\/p>\n
Separately, Vice President Hamzah Haz will also campaign for
\nthe United Development Party (PPP). He will take turns with
\nMegawati traveling outside the capital to campaign.<\/p>\n
Hamzah said he would only campaign a few hours a day and fly
\nback each night, but would still work out a staggered schedule
\nwith Megawati.<\/p>\n
\"We will ensure that the government will run as usual and both
\nme and Megawati will take turns making trips for campaigning,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Due to the absence of the regulation for both the president
\nand vice president to take a leave, the government decided that
\nboth officials could conduct their campaigns between state
\nduties.<\/p>",
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