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.