Candidates turn to print, electronic media to campaign
The Jakarta Post Jakarta/Surabaya/Makassar
Confronted with a limited campaign period and the vast expanse of the country, candidates of the Sept. 20 runoff have decided to turn to print and electronic media to lure voters.
Photographs of Megawati Soekarnoputri and running mate Hasyim Muzadi, as well as those of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and running mate Jusuf Kalla, have been prominent in national newspapers and television broadcasts since the campaign period officially kicked off on Tuesday.
Under the Presidential Elections Law, election runoff candidates are given only three days to organize indoor campaigns, during which they are to explain their programs and policies to the voting public.
However, Megawati and Susilo have both chosen to stay put in Jakarta, leaving their campaign teams to do the leg work across the country.
Meanwhile, the two have booked extended TV spots and taken out huge space in newspapers for election ads, with both candidates claiming to be the right choice to run the country for the next five years.
Virtually all Jakarta TV stations are airing campaign ads from both sides every half-hour, and the overkill has been alleviated somewhat by the few versions available: The Megawati-Hasyim team has offered at least three versions, as has the Susilo-Kalla team.
Several newspapers have carried full-page pictures of the candidates, which has certainly benefited the media as additional advertorial income.
The campaign restrictions imposed by the General Elections Commission (KPU) have not left much space for other alternatives: No outdoor rallies are allowed during the three-day period, huge mass gatherings are also out of question and the candidates are obliged to comply with the KPU-organized dialog for three consecutive nights.
The dialog seemed like a question-and-answer panel session on the first day of the campaign period, with Megawati and Susilo appearing at separate times before panelists they had hand- picked.
On the second day, Megawati spent her morning among hundreds of street singers, who vowed to campaign for her across Greater Jakarta, and received 40 regional representatives from several provinces.
Later in the day, Megawati was scheduled to launch a program to clear coastal areas in Ancol, North Jakarta, but the incumbent decided not to attend the event, citing unforeseen circumstances.
Meanwhile, challenger Susilo received representatives of Democratic Party chapters across Sumatra, after Megawati's sister, Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, canceled a planned meeting due to asthma and Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X rescheduled his meeting for Thursday.
It is not known whether Rachmawati will be available to meet at a later date because of her health condition.
Also on Wednesday, a group of activists claiming to be "guardians of reform" declared their support for Susilo in a rally.
Attending the event were dozens of student activists who had fought for reform in 1998 and several noted figures, including lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, businessman Sofyan Wanandi, former finance minister Fuad Bawazier, former trade minister Rizal Ramli, Partnership Governance Reform chairman H.S. Dillon and a former student activist of the Bandung Institute of Technology, Djumhur Hidayat.
In Surabaya, neither camp took advantage of the allotted time to hold indoor campaigns, and instead held interactive dialogs at state-owned RRI radio station and TVRI.
Meanwhile, United Development Party (PPP) chairman and incumbent Vice President Hamzah Haz told Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) followers to vote for the Megawati-Hasyim pair.
Hasyim is the current NU leader, but is suspended from his position during the campaigns.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) distributed flowers and drew up a petition of support for Susilo-Kalla.