Campaigning continues despite violence in Java

JAKARTA (JP): Despite clashes in Jakarta and several Central Java towns which continued well into the night, campaigning proceeded orderly in many other parts of the country.

Golkar campaigners in Central Java yesterday spoke on poverty alleviation, collusion, legal development, the role of the press in national development and other issues.

Golkar deputy chief Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana spoke in Magelang on the party's commitment to people's welfare. Several hours later she was in Bantul regency, where she met thousands of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) members and its chairman Abdurrahman Wahid for a istighosah qubro (grand prayer service).

"Golkar became this big because of the people, so it must fight for the people," she told the Magelang rally.

There were several traffic accidents involving people traveling to and from the rally which left five people injured. Unidentified people vandalized two Golkar legislature candidates' houses in the town.

Golkar campaigner Muladi told a rally in Semarang that the press had been irresponsible during the campaign. Rather than running stories which calmed people down, it focussed on sensationalizing the unrest.

"It's these kinds of story that sell," he said.

In Bandung, Ginandjar Kartasasmita deflected criticism that Golkar was unaware of the shortcomings of national development. "Golkar realizes these shortcomings, which is why Golkar will work hard to bring improvement," he told a sea of yellow-clad supporters at the Arcamanik race track.

Ginandjar was accompanied by campaigners Titiek Prabowo and Bambang Trihatmodjo. The supporters formed noisy street rallies, forming an almost 10-kilometer-long procession.

In Bogor, thousands of Golkar supporters joined motorcades, causing heavy congestion in many streets. Two people died and five others were seriously injured in traffic accidents caused by the convoy.

In Cirebon, campaigner Haryanto Dhanutirto spoke before 100,000 cheering supporters, according to Antara.

On Saturday, Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) chairman Soerjadi said in Palembang that he had "no problem" with PDI supporters voting for other parties.

"PDI supporters can go to Golkar or the PPP, if they feel they are better," he said.

He promised Sunday that his party would fight for a clean and respectable bureaucracy. "It is precisely for that purpose that we all need to work to eradicate corruption, manipulation and corruption," he told a rally in Pelaihari, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

"If the PDI cooperates with Golkar and PPP to fight corruption and collusion and to eradicate poverty, the world will soon be free of poverty," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

He rejected the suggestion that supporters had abandoned the PDI because of its internal conflict.

"That's a mistaken observation, because the PDI has in fact gained new members. During this campaign alone, we have got 80,000 new supporters across Indonesia," he said.

In Palu, Central Sulawesi, the PDI canceled its eighth round of campaigning after putting it off since the fifth round, the beginning of the third week of campaigning.

In Medan, North Sumatra, PDI campaigners told supporters not to be easily provoked by negative issues voiced by "certain people who want to dismantle PDI."

Rats

United Development Party (PPP) secretary-general Tosari Widjaya spoke in Praya, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, firing up a rally by inviting PPP supporters to close ranks and fight against "the corrupt rats" who had made people suffer.

"The PPP will clean up this country from corruptors," he was quoted by Antara as saying in a tightly guarded rally.

Campaigner Muchsin Bafadal, who accompanied Tosari, also spoke about "rats which appear on polling day at the polling booths".

He was warned that votes for PPP might be replaced with votes for another party.

In Denpasar, Bali, famous ulema K.H. Alawy Muhammad told thousands of PPP supporters that the public needed better political education so that the nation would not run out of control.

In Ujung Pandang, South Sulawesi, the chief of the Wirabuana Military Command, which oversees Sulawesi, Maj. Gen. Agum Gumelar, said that despite clashes between party supporters Friday security was "still normal and under control".

Fighting, involving stone-throwing, was reported at the PPP rally there.

Agum said soldiers did not have to be deployed because the police could still handle security.

But he acknowledged that security would get tighter closer to election day on May 29. (ahy/har/23/30/38/pwn/24)