Bloody thumbprint causes campaign stir in Lampung

Oyos Saroso H.N, The Jakarta Post, Lampung

An official of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI- P) Way Kanan branch in Lampung was shocked to find that a petition filed by residents included a bloody thumbprint.

Muhajir, 40, the head of a PDI-P team selecting candidates for regent, discovered the bloody thumbprint on a petition supporting the candidacy of Lt. Col. Purnomo, the commander of the Army's local Zeni Corps, as a Way Kanan deputy regent nominee for the 2005/2010 term.

Attached to the petition were copies of the identity cards of 60 residents from Banjit, Gunung Labuhan, Baradatu and Way Tuba districts.

A petition is required by the PDI-P selection team in the nomination of a candidate for regent. A direct regental election is scheduled for June 20.

"It was eerie to receive the petition. The scale of support is tremendous, as shown by the bloody thumbprint. Goodness knows what will happen if we reject the candidacy," said Muhajir.

Three days later the PDI-P office received another petition marked with a bloody thumbprint. It was submitted by hundreds of residents of Blambangan Umpu in downtown Way Kanan, who supported the candidacy of Marsidi Hasan for regent.

The residents, who went to the PDI-P Way Kanan office, demanded that Marsidi Hasan and Purnomo be paired up in the race for regent and deputy regent.

Marking petitions with bloody thumbprints became a trend among PDI-P supporters in Java a few years ago and signifies that the support is firm and strong. It is also thought to be a warning to the establishment, whether party officials or the government, that there will be adverse consequences if the people's wishes are ignored.

More and more people have resorted to this method of supporting their preferred candidate, although there has been no research done on whether it is effective in garnering votes.

Nanang Trenggono, a communication expert from the University of Lampung, said the method of support had a negative impact on political education. He said the method could create tension and lead to violence among immature members of the grass roots.

Nanang said the method may not be dangerous in indirect elections in which candidates are chosen by party officials, but could prove dangerous in direct elections.

"It could be dangerous in a direct election of heads of regional governments. In a direct election, the candidates have a strong affinity with their supporters, and they are known by and close to their supporters. If they are barred from participating in an election or they are not elected, it could result in violence," said Nanang.

Jauhari Zaelani, a political observer from the University of Bandar Lampung, said candidates should garner support properly instead of using a threatening symbol.

He said that marking a petition with a bloody thumbprint would not be effective in garnering public support.

"People in general are more mature than before. The bloody thumbprint method is often associated with violence and a growing number of people do not accept it," said Jauhari.