PAN supporters threaten to switch allegiance<\/p>\n
Ruslan Sangadji and Irvan NR, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi<\/p>\n
Local members of the National Mandate Party (PAN) here objected
\non Saturday to the central board's selection of politicians to
\ntop the party's list of legislative candidates representing
\nCentral Sulawesi, as the candidates are not native to the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
Deputy chairman of PAN's Central Sulawesi chapter Baso Rustham
\nEffendi told a media conference the party's local supporters
\nwould move to rival parties if Jakarta refused to revise the
\nlist.<\/p>\n
"The central board's refusal to make changes in the roster
\nwill result in an exodus of PAN supporters here and will cost the
\nparty a huge loss of support for its presidential candidate Amien
\nRais," Effendi, better known as Abang, said.<\/p>\n
PAN's central board of executives has submitted its list of
\nHouse of Representatives candidates to the General Elections
\nCommission (KPU), which saw Nurhadi Musawir head the list in
\nCentral Sulawesi, ahead of local candidates Nadjamudin Ramli and
\nTjatjo Thaha who are second and third respectively.<\/p>\n
Nurhadi is a native of Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
The KPU has given only until Jan. 19 for the parties to make
\nany changes to their list of candidates.<\/p>\n
The upcoming general election will adopt a new system in which
\na voter will be asked to punch a party's logo and a candidate's
\nname, but a ballot paper will be considered valid even if only
\nthe party's symbol is punched. As a result of the ruling,
\ncandidates placed at the top of the list stand a greater chance
\nof winning legislative seats than those listed below.<\/p>\n
Despite claims from political parties that selection of
\nlegislative candidates started from the local party branches, it
\nwas the central boards that had the final say.<\/p>\n
PAN did not win any seat in the House from Central Sulawesi
\nand managed only to secure one seat in the provincial legislature
\nin the 1999 general election.<\/p>\n
Separately, dozens of students grouped under the Alliance of
\nBanggai-Saluan Youths and Students (Babasal) rallied at the
\nProvincial Elections Commission (KPUD) in Palu to reject the
\nnomination of outsiders by some political parties as legislative
\ncandidates representing Banggai-Bangkep regency.<\/p>\n
"They (outsiders) do not know the character of the people they
\nwill represent and have not proven their contribution to
\ndevelopment in our regency. How can they channel our
\naspirations?" the group's chairman Irfan Bungaadjim said.<\/p>\n
He said there were many native candidates who were more
\ncompetent than the outsiders.<\/p>\n
"We need local figures, not strangers," he told KPUD
\nofficials.<\/p>\n
Central Sulawesi KPUD chairman Zainuddin Bolong asserted that
\nthe unitary state of Indonesia did not recognize the dichotomy
\nbetween native and non-native figures.<\/p>\n
"The demand indicates that nationalism has faded among the
\nyounger generation while the nation is facing the threat of
\ndisintegration," Zainuddin said.<\/p>\n
The students dispersed peacefully after the dialog with KPUD
\nofficials.<\/p>",
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