Candidates turning to media
Candidates turning to media
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.