Color war escalates in Surakarta

SURAKARTA (JP): Trees, fences, telegraph poles, sidewalks, zebra crossings and bus shelters changed color for the sixth time yesterday as the political war of colors here reached new heights.

Scores of furious Golkar activists poured down the streets as youths from rival parties were busy elsewhere coloring objects in public places white, or red and white.

In Jakarta, Central Java Governor Soewardi warned that no one was allowed to repaint anything that had been painted yellow, the color of Golkar, without local government consent.

"People in Central Java are free to paint their property any color they like but they should not touch anything that has been painted yellow," he said.

Surakarta (also known as Solo) residents, amused by the year- old color war, quip they have almost lost count of how many times objects in public places have changed color.

The controversy began when the governor, eager to promote Golkar ahead of the May 29 general election, endorsed a campaign to paint objects yellow, a drive dubbed "yellowization".

But the campaign met fierce opposition in Solo. Activists of the Moslem-oriented United Development Party (PPP) braved the authorities' wrath in January and repainted everything white, a "neutral color".

The repainting contest escalated last week when activists of the rift-ridden minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) stepped into the battle with their red and white paint.

Solo residents said yesterday hundreds of trees lining the streets of the tourist city had changed color again, this time to yellow, to comply with the authorities' wishes.

"We are only doing what we were told to do," a mayoralty environment sanitary office employee said.

Sujarwo, a loyalist of ousted PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, said that the campaign to repaint everything yellow was "regrettable".

"It gives the impression that yellow is superior to the sacred red and white (the colors of Indonesia's flag)," he said.

PDI activists have threatened to expand the war of colors to other towns across the province. (har/imn/pan)