Candidates availing of every opportunity to woo voters
Candidates availing of every opportunity to woo voters
ID Nugroho and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post/Surabaya/Jakarta
Two weeks to go before the election runoff on Sept. 20, 2004,
both presidential candidates are availing of every opportunity
they can to woo the voters.
As the Central Jakarta District Court was slated on Monday to
hand down its verdict in a high-profile defamation case against
three Tempo magazine journalists, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono used
the opportunity to seek the support of the media.
He said there should be no journalists sent to prison for
articles they wrote.
"Use the Press Law to settle all disputes with the media and
journalists. We have the Press Law and we should make use of it,"
Susilo said during a visit to the Syaichona Cholil Islamic
boarding school in Madura, East Java.
Susilo, who won the first round of the presidential election
on July 5, said the Tempo case should be reviewed as it could
affect the future of press freedom.
The court was scheduled on Monday to deliver its verdict in
the criminal libel case against Tempo chief editor Bambang
Harimurti and two of its journalists, Ahmad Taufiq and Tengku
Iskandar Ali. However, it adjourned the final hearing until
Thursday.
The three journalists were reported to the police by
businessman Tommy Winata, who accused them of implicating him in
last year's devastating fire at the Tanah Abang textile market in
a report published by the weekly magazine.
Present on other days in the courtroom to show support for the
defendants and press freedom was Pramono Anung Wibowo, a close
confidante of President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is being
challenged by Susilo in the runoff.
Pramono's presence in the court was construed by journalists
as part of the efforts by Megawati's campaign team to woo the
media ahead of the second round of the election.
As a deputy secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Pramono has lately been accompanying
Megawati to many events.
During his trip to Madura, Susilo also visited the grave of a
noted cleric from the island and attended a number of events
there. However, the retired Army general was greeted by an
antimilitary protest staged by dozens of youths.
Susilo's running mate, Jusuf Kalla, attended a meeting with
hundreds of people in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, during which they
declared their support for the Susilo-Kalla ticket in the
upcoming election runoff.
Meanwhile, Megawati's running mate, Hasyim Muzadi, visited
several places in East Java province, including Kediri and
Surabaya, and held talks with Islam-based organizations.
In Jakarta, the Nationhood Coalition, a grouping of four
parties that supports the Megawati-Hasyim ticket, held another
meeting at Megawati's residence on Jl. Teuku Umar.
Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung, United Development Party
(PPP) chairman Hamzah Haz and Prosperous Peace Party (PDS)
chairman Ruyandi Hutasoit were among those in attendance.