All election contenders conclude final preparations
JAKARTA (JP): The race is on.
All raring to go, the United Development Party (PPP), Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) completed yesterday their final preparations for the nationwide election campaign which kicks off today.
PPP's chairman, Ismail Hasan Metareum, is starting this morning in Medan, North Sumatra, armed with speeches saying his party will fight for democratization, social justice and rights.
In 1992 PPP won only 10.9 percent of votes in that province which now has 6 million voters.
Golkar's chairman Harmoko, denying accusations that his grouping had jumped the election starter gun, is starting in Lebak regency, West Java.
Later in the afternoon, he will campaign in Jakarta with several prominent Golkar members like Wardiman Djojonegoro, Haryanto Dhanutirto, Rhoma Irama, Mar'ie Muhammad and B.J. Habibie.
Another prominent Golkar face, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, will campaign this morning in Semarang, Central Java -- a region which Golkar has entrusted to her to cultivate over the past few years.
Her brother, Bambang Trihatmodjo, will campaign in Jakarta.
PDI's chairman, Soerjadi, will campaign in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and later on in Sambas regency, which was rocked recently by ethnic violence.
Yesterday, Harmoko phoned around to check several Golkar command posts across the country and inspected the command post in North Jakarta's Kelapa Gading district.
"I'm satisfied because all of Golkar's cadres in Jakarta and everywhere else in the country are physically and mentally ready to start the election campaign," he was quoted by Antara as saying.
He checked the various facilities for Golkar's campaign, including telephones, walky talkies, banners and posters bearing the group's symbol of banyan tree which were to be put up at midnight.
"I want you all to comply to all of the campaign rules. Let's make this campaign a beautiful and orderly one," he said.
Harmoko will campaign in two provinces a day during the 27-day campaign.
PPP will campaign today in the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor.
Golkar members will operate in Jakarta, West, Central and East Java, Yogyakarta, Maluku and Irian Jaya, while the PDI will campaign in West, Central, South and East Kalimantan, and North, Southeast, Central and South Sulawesi.
The three contestants will also campaign through public gatherings, meetings, and through the state-owned television and radio stations TVRI and RRI.
The 30-minute pre-recorded speeches will be aired and relayed by the five private television station and radio stations across the country, every day starting 7.30 p.m. tonight with the PDI.
PPP and Golkar will get their turn the following days.
This campaign will run until May 23. There will be a five-day cooling off period, where campaigning is banned, before the May 29 poll.
The minister of home affairs, Moch. Yogie S.M, said last night in a televised speech marking the election campaign's start that the activities should be carried out in a way that served as public political education.
He called on the three political contestants to obey the rules and agreements already made and asked organizers to ensure the campaign and election proceeded freely, confidentially and correctly.
He reiterated that street rallies and convoys were banned to prevent the public from behaving irrationally and excessively.
The use of "dialog campaign" -- which stresses dialog over speeches, will help the political parties understand their constituents aspirations, he said. (aan/swe)