City's PPP branch hopeful about votes
JAKARTA (JP): Demand for freedom of choice may boost votes for the city's chapter of the United Development Party (PPP), even in areas traditionally "difficult" for the Party, a PPP official said.
Djafar Badjeber, who heads the chapter's division for winning elections, said voters now were more critical than in the 1992 election.
"Many refuse to be talked into voting for a party," Djafar, a city councilor, said yesterday.
The clearest indication was the new demand for party membership cards, he told The Jakarta Post.
"We're getting 20 to 70 requests a day for new cards, even from areas we could never reach before," Djafar said, declining to name the areas.
A PPP source said that in West Jakarta subdistricts, "people refuse to be intimidated anymore by the door-to-door methods of subdistrict officials, and jawara getting votes for Golkar".
Jawara are men traditionally considered skillful in fighting and therefore informal leaders.
Election figures for 1992 show PPP lost more to Golkar in West Jakarta areas such as the Kebon Jeruk district than in other mayoralties.
In the Duri Kepa subdistrict, for instance, PPP got 3,838 votes compared to 16,315 for Golkar and 7,452 for the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
Djafar said PPP's main attraction was still its historical roots as an Islamic party.
Another factor was the increasingly critical stance of party chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum which appealed to young professionals and students, Djafar said.
Recently Ismail criticized election campaign rules as unfair.
Djafar denied the PPP's optimism was due to the rift in the PDI.
"Many are tired of pressure and want change," Djafar said.
Because of this PPP is not only relying on traditional voters, but also on more critical voters, he said.
Separately, city council Golkar member, Zakiruddin Djamin, said at least 200,000 PDI and PPP members had shifted to Golkar last year.
Djafar declined to say whether the PPP could repeat the party's 1977 triumph in Jakarta, when it got about 50 percent or 1,085,069 votes. It lost votes to Golkar in the 1982, 1987 and 1992 elections.
"We're just sure we can get many more votes," Djafar said.
In 1992 PPP got 25 percent or 1,136,100 of around five million votes.
Djafar said many young people were more attracted to non- governmental organizations while others were not interested in voting at all.
But he said the number of non-voters would be small, arguing that many still feel they should exercise their political right.
The PPP source said expressions of support have come from civil servants not allowed to vote for PPP.
Civil servants must vote Golkar because they are members of Korpri, the civil servants corps organization. Although this rule is still under debate. Korpri, ABRI and several other mass organizations are part of Golkar. (anr)