Commission sets campaign rule on mass media

Commission sets campaign rule on mass media

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Friday the
regulations on the electoral campaign, which sets some
restrictions regarding campaigning through the mass media.

There are at least six restrictions found in Article 18 of KPU
Instruction No. 701/2003 on the electoral campaign signed by KPU
chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin on Dec. 29.

The Article sets a maximum of a full-page advertisement for
political parties or regional representatives (DPD) candidates in
a newspaper in a week.

It also only allows parties or DPD candidates a maximum of a
two-page ad in magazines and tabloids.

Parties and DPD candidates are allowed to advertise in the
electronic media with a maximum of 10 spots of a 30 second
duration every day in the campaign period.

Parties and DPD candidates are only permitted a maximum of 10
spots on the radio with a duration of 60 seconds per spot.

A party or DPD candidate is prohibited from using slots
allotted to other parties or DPD candidates that do not utilize
their slots.

Advertisements of parties and/or DPD candidates can be printed
or aired in the mass media only in the campaign period that has
been stipulated by the KPU.

The campaign period will run from March 11 to April 1.

There are 24 parties and more than 500 DPD candidates
contesting this year's elections.

Article 19 states that the campaign material in the mass media
must be submitted at least two weeks before the beginning of the
campaign period with full payment to be made before the
advertisement is released or published.

In Article 17, KPU prohibits parties or DPD candidates from
conducting a mass media campaign that attacks or disparages other
parties or DPD candidates.

It also prohibits parties or DPD candidates from producing
sound or visual effects that could raise fear and anxiety, from
using impolite and coarse language, or material deemed insulting
to various ethnic groups or religions.

"KPU will regulate the campaign in the electronic media until
the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission is established and it
makes new rulings," KPU member Hamid Awaluddin told a press
conference, along with Nazaruddin.

Besides campaign restrictions in the mass media, the
instruction also set limitations on parties and DPD candidates in
campaigning through other mechanisms such as limited meetings and
general assemblies.

Regarding party attributes or paraphernalia, Hamid said
parties were allowed only to place them at locations that had
been determined by local administrations.

He also said that each party must place their campaign
paraphernalia (flags, banners etc.) at a minimum distance of 50
centimeters from other parties.

"If parties violate the rule, they will be warned and if they
still ignore our warning, we will remove their banners from the
locations," he said.

KPU will also set up campaign monitoring posts at the
national, provincial and regental/municipal level to monitor the
implementation of the campaign.

A number of penalties are also stipulated in the instruction
ranging from suspension from the campaign to dismissal of
legislative and DPD aspirants if they bribe people to vote for
them.