Campaigning continues despite violence in Java

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)