Megawati-PPP banners ban bagged<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It was thumbs down yesterday to a government ban
\non banners and pictures portraying an alliance between the
\ndeposed Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) leader, Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, and the United Development Party (PPP).<\/p>\n
\"It's not appropriate to ban people from expressing their
\npolitical aspirations,\" PPP Secretary-general Tosari Wijaya said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Tosari said the ban would kill people's creativity. He
\ndefended the PPP supporters who carried the banned banners by
\nsaying their actions were not a problem so long as they did not
\ndisturb security and order.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot stop those supporters participating in the
\ncampaign. Everything has been spontaneous,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said all the party's banners and material had been approved
\nby police. If supporters created their own banners and posters,
\n\"it's beyond our control\".<\/p>\n
On Monday, the government banned banners and pictures
\ninscribed with \"Mega-bintang\" on the grounds that they breached
\nelection rules and an agreement by the three parties. Mega is a
\nnickname for Megawati, and bintang (star) is the PPP's symbol.<\/p>\n
PPP Chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum said here he was surprised
\nby the ban, and could not understand why displaying the banners
\nwas considered a violation.<\/p>\n
\"Mega-bintang means great star. It has nothing to do with
\nMegawati,\" Metareum said, adding that the ban could not be
\njustified.<\/p>\n
PPP deputy chairman Jusuf Syakir said in Ujungpandang, South
\nSulawesi, that the General Elections Committee should not have
\nissued the ban.<\/p>\n
\"The government shouldn't have bothered with such minor
\ndetails,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The government-recognized PDI faction's secretary-general,
\nButtu R. Hutapea, said yesterday he supported the ban. \"The
\ncommittee has never recognized any parties other than the three
\ncontestants,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He shrugged off the exodus of Megawati loyalists to PPP.
\n\"That's no guarantee that they will vote for PPP. A great deal
\ndepends on the voters themselves because the process (voting) is
\nconfidential and nobody else will know which party they punch.\"<\/p>\n
Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs, Lt. Gen. Syarwan
\nHamid, said yesterday the transfer of supporters from one party
\nto another was lawful.<\/p>\n
\"People are free to channel their political aspirations to any
\nof the three contestants,\" Syarwan said while supervising a PDI
\nrally in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
On the alliance between Megawati supporters and the PPP,
\nSyarwan said he would wait to hear Megawati's opinion on her
\nsupporters' move.<\/p>\n
Criticism of the government's ban has come hard and fast,
\nincluding from the Association of Moslem Students, which said:
\n\"It's not wise to dismiss the public's creativity and political
\nappreciation as it will be counterproductive and hamper the
\ncountry's democratization.<\/p>\n
\"The government should motivate people and provide room for
\nthe development of people's initiative and give them the right to
\nexpress their political aspirations and interests,\" the
\nassociation said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The Independent Election Supervision Committee's (KIPP)
\nsecretary-general, Mulyana W. Kusumah, said the government should
\nnot be suspicious of the emerging alliance.<\/p>\n
\"The Megawati-PPP coalition should be accepted as an
\nunavoidable fact following the government's decision to make
\nSoerjadi the lawful PDI chairman after a government-backed
\ncongress in last June,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said Megawati supporters decision to vote for the PPP
\nshould be considered lawful.<\/p>\n
\"We all know that the transfer of supporters from one
\npolitical organization to another has been a common phenomenon
\nsince the early stage of this general election,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Despite of the government ban, people at PPP rallies carried
\nbanners and posters yesterday promoting the Megawati-PPP
\nalliance.<\/p>\n
Many people in green-and-red clothes were among the crowd at a
\nPPP rally in Ujungpandang.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, about 100 Megawati loyalists in black-and-white
\nclothes rode motorbikes through the city's main streets, while
\nSoerjadi's faction was organizing a rally in nearby Sleman.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Soerjadi said the alliance was merely \"a game
\norchestrated by the PPP\" which would not affect him or his
\nsupporters.<\/p>\n
\"The PPP beats the drum and enjoys it very much, but we will
\nnot dance to it. We will follow our own rhythm,\" Soerjadi said.<\/p>\n
Soerjadi refused to judge the alliance, and said it was not
\nthe PDI's concern.<\/p>\n
He said he did not understand why people thought a new
\nalliance had emerged.<\/p>\n
\"How many people are there (Megawati supporters)? They will
\nnot give the PPP a significant boost,\" Soerjadi said.
\n(imn\/bsr\/amd\/37\/05\/38\/31\/amd)<\/p>\n
Campaign -- Page 4<\/p>\n
Alliance -- Page 5<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-ppp-banners-ban-bagged-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }