Tips to protect cars during the campaign<\/p>\n
By John Aglionby<\/p>\n
ON Tuesday, this newspaper printed a photo of a car vandalized
\nby Golkar supporters during an election campaign street
\nprocession.<\/p>\n
This was by no means an isolated case. Many people caught up
\nin rallies have told of similar, if not quite so horrific,
\nexperiences.<\/p>\n
To help prevent these incidents becoming more widespread and
\nto ensure the minimum amount of damage is done to vehicles during
\nlast week of the campaign (the last day is May 23), The Jakarta
\nPost is pleased to publish a series of tips for drivers on how to
\nprotect their vehicles from coming under attack.<\/p>\n
1. Leave your car locked up at home in a garage protected by a
\nposse of strapping bodyguards. This is particularly advisable if
\nit is a Timor car because there have been several reports, most
\nnotably in Bogor, of disaffected campaigners putting the boot
\ninto the national car.<\/p>\n
2. If you have no choice but to go out, plan your itinerary so
\nyou do everything on a day when the Indonesian Democratic Party
\n(PDI) is supposed to be campaigning in your area. This usually
\nmeans the streets will be empty.<\/p>\n
Even if it doesn't, it has not been uncommon for the police to
\noutnumber PDI campaigners in some districts so, they are free to
\ndirect what little traffic there is. You should, therefore, reach
\nyour destination even more quickly than usual, but this is by no
\nmeans guaranteed.<\/p>\n
3. Golkar and United Development Party campaigners rarely get
\nout of bed and on to the streets before 1:30 p.m. so, run all
\nyour errands before then.<\/p>\n
4. If all of the above are out of the question, take advantage
\nof the fact that many of the cities traffic light street vendors
\nhave taken to selling party paraphernalia. To cover all the bases
\nin one stroke buy a sheet-sized flag in the colors of each of the
\nparties. Drape the appropriate one over your hood on the
\nappropriate day and you should be laughing all the way to your
\ndestination.<\/p>\n
5. If you prefer people to protect your car rather than just a
\nsheet-sized flag there are two alternatives.<\/p>\n
a) Follow the example set by the Jakarta Harley Davidson Club
\nand hire a dozen truckloads of the country's finest military
\npolice and the same number of motorcycle outriders. This should
\nmean that all campaigners will be shoved into the gutters and you
\nwill travel through the city with unimaginable ease with no one
\ncoming anywhere near your vehicle.<\/p>\n
b) If your budget does not stretch to the bundles of money
\nrequired per day for the above protection go to the other extreme
\nand let the campaigners get into your car. This might sound a bit
\nradical but with someone hanging out of each of your doors it
\nshould result in no one attacking your car. The only drawback is
\nthat you will as likely as not be left with an enormous car-valet
\nbill. This is not nearly as bad, however, as having to replace
\nthe windshield and hubcaps.<\/p>\n
6. Take an ojek (motorcycle taxi) round town. This option has
\npros and cons. It will not take you three hours to get from Pasar
\nMinggu to Palmerah, your vehicle will not get touched and the air
\nconditioning is environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, the
\nfumes from the stationary vehicles are not so delectable and it
\nis easier for people to punch you, rather than your vehicle. The
\neasiest way to prevent the latter is to take a camera with you
\nand you will be treated with more respect than Rhoma Irama or any
\nother popular entertainer. Film is optional.<\/p>\n
7. Cast your aloofness aside and join in with the nation's
\nfiesta of democracy. Don't hold back. Hire a truck, decorate it
\nin the color of the day, invite all and sundry to climb on board
\nand get stuck into the center of the procession. The safety-in-
\nnumbers philosophy seems to hold a lot of water and so you should
\nnot get beaten up or busted by the riot police.<\/p>\n
The major drawback is that you will probably have to listen to
\na speech or five. However, discussion of the issues is banned so
\nyou will have the opportunity to listen to Indonesian political
\nfairy tales. The speeches also rarely go on for more than half an
\nhour so you won't have wasted any significant amount of time in
\nthe interests of keeping your Rp 400 million vehicle safe and
\nsound.<\/p>\n
9. Use someone else's car and don't worry about it at all.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tips-to-protect-cars-during-the-campaign-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }