Parties gear up for elections<\/p>\n
As many as 141 political parties have passed the first \"test\"
\nin order to contest the June 7 general election. They meet the
\nstipulated administrative requirements. As of Saturday evening,
\n102 of those had been registered with the General Election
\nInstitution (LPU) prior to being judged eligible for the contest
\nby the Team of Eleven. The Jakarta Post's Benget Simbolon, Edith
\nHartanto, Dwi Atmanta, Mohammad Yazid, Ridwan Max Sijabat, Riyadi,
\nYogita Tahil Ramani and IGN Oka Budhi Yogaswara examine the
\nparties, their prospect and profile.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Thirteen weeks ahead of the June 7 general
\nelection, the political condition at home is much different from
\nwhat it was some months ago as most people have paid attention to
\nthe revived multiparty polls.<\/p>\n
Both electronic and print media have concentrated their
\nreports on and around the elections and political parties'
\nactivities on the eve of the election.<\/p>\n
A great number of new political parties are busy making
\npreparations, including organizing campaign-model grand meetings.<\/p>\n
Streets in Jakarta, provincial capitals and other urban and
\nrural areas across the country have been filled with \"political\"
\nbanners and flags at strategic sites.<\/p>\n
In addition many drivers have put their favorite party's
\nsymbols on their cars, public buses, cars and trucks.<\/p>\n
Logos and party flags highlighting the streets predominantly
\nbelong to the ruling Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP),
\nthe Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
\nthe National Mandate Party (PAN), the Crescent Star Party (PBB)
\nand the Justice and Unity Party (PKP).<\/p>\n
At least 141 of 234 political parties registered with the Home
\nAffairs Ministry have passed the first selection process
\nconducted by the Ministry of Justice and they are now undergoing
\nverification by the independent Team of Eleven.<\/p>\n
All political parties are subject to this verification, which
\nis intended to find out if they indeed have the minimum number of
\nprovincial and district branches required. Even the old poll
\ncontestants -- Golkar, PPP and Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
\n-- must undergo the procedures stipulated by the 1999 law on
\ngeneral elections.<\/p>\n
The law requires political parties to have at least nine
\nprovincial chapters, with each of them having representatives in
\nhalf of the province's regencies.<\/p>\n
Many people have observed that despite the huge number only
\nbetween 20 and 30 parties are expected to clear the Team of
\nEleven's test.<\/p>\n
The team has found many party branches in the regencies run
\ntheir secretariats from food stalls or private homes.<\/p>\n
A team member, Adi Andojo Sutjipto, who is in charge of West
\nand Central Java, said many parties rejected verification because
\nof their poor preparations.<\/p>\n
Favorites<\/p>\n
Among the parties to watch are Golkar, PDI Perjuangan, PPP,
\nPAN, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Justice and Unity
\nParty (PKP), the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the Indonesian Uni-
\ndemocracy Party, the Republic Party and the Nadhlatul Ummat Party
\n(NU).<\/p>\n
Theo Sambuaga, Golkar deputy chairman, said that despite
\nfierce criticisms and condemnations from many sides, Golkar
\nshould be considered a favorite party because it still has loyal
\nmembers and sympathizers in urban and rural areas across the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"We have held consolidation meetings in 66,000 villages,\" he
\nsaid recently. He stated that his party is fighting it out to win
\nsupport from youth from all layers, businessmen, farmers,
\nfishermen, the education world in the country and ulemas.<\/p>\n
In the past Golkar was widely known as a vehicle of former
\npresident Soeharto whose 32-year rule ended following May 1998
\nstudents demonstrations.<\/p>\n
Golkar won each of the last six elections but did not do much
\nto encourage democracy. It has also been blamed for the widening
\nsocioeconomic gap.<\/p>\n
Haryanto Taslam, deputy secretary of PDI Perjuangan, said that
\nhis party hopes to make the general election a success as a
\ndemocratic way of saving the nation from chaos and
\ndisintegration.<\/p>\n
He said that his party is ready both physically and
\nfinancially to contest the fiesta of democracy. He said PDI has
\nchapters in 26 provinces and branches in 245 of 318 regencies and
\nit has built Gotong Royong command posts in almost all villages
\nin Java, Bali, Sumatra and Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
\"At least Java and Bali are in hand,\" he told reporters
\nrecently.<\/p>\n
Hamzah Haz, PPP chairman, said that his party has nothing to
\nworry about since it had fared well in the past elections.<\/p>\n
\"PPP has a special place in the people's hearts but it has
\nbeen never \"given\" opportunities to be a winner because of
\nmanipulation in the past,\" he said recently in a party gathering
\nin Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
He said he was optimistic his party, which has met all legal
\nand administrative requirements for the elections, would grab at
\nleast 30 percent of the votes in the next election.<\/p>\n
Muhaimin Iskandar, PKB secretary general, said that the party
\nhas three segments and three main programs.<\/p>\n
\"PKB votes will be 70 percent from the around 30 million
\nNadhlatul Ulama (NU) followers, 15 percent from the Chinese and
\nChristians and another 15 percent from Muslim people outside NU,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
PKB and Nadhlatul Ummat Party are two of the four political
\nparties which expect support from NU followers. Both parties will
\nparticularly seek voters in East Java, especially in Islamic
\nboarding schools (pesantren) in the province.<\/p>\n
Santoso, PAN deputy secretary general, said his party has
\ndisseminated the idea of New Indonesia as its political platform
\nand has drawn enthusiasm from almost all layers of society.<\/p>\n
\"Our main program is to establish a new Indonesia and the rule
\nof law, and thus put an end to the crisis,\" he said recently.<\/p>\n
Many parties have taken Islam as their principle in a bid to
\nwoo voters. These parties include the Justice Party, New Masyumi,
\nthe Islamic Syarikat Party, the Two Verses Party, the Muslim Umat
\nParty and many others which have great potential of winning the
\nelection if they join forces, or merge.<\/p>\n
Apart from fears that the elections will be prone to violence,
\njust and honest polls remain a big question mark.<\/p>\n
Arbi Sanit, a political expert from the University of
\nIndonesia, has criticized the law on political parties for
\nthreatening only 30 days jail and a Rp 100 million fine for
\nparties found guilty of indulging in money politics.<\/p>\n
\"The law should impose stiff sanctions on violating donors and
\nparties,\" he said, citing the fact that parties receiving more
\nthan that stipulated by the law were not subject to punishment.<\/p>\n
The law allows individuals to contribute a maximum of Rp 15
\nmillion a month and companies a maximum of Rp 150 million a month
\nto political parties. It also barred parties from receiving
\nforeign aid.<\/p>\n
According to the law, political parties are obliged to make an
\nannual financial report to the Supreme Court and they should be
\nopen to audit by public accountants. The court has the authority
\nto disband violating parties.<\/p>\n
Besides, the law also requires political parties to uphold the
\n1945 Constitution and Pancasila state ideology and to maintain
\nnational unity.<\/p>",
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