Day two campaigners find deserted fields

Day two campaigners find deserted fields

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although the 22-day election campaign period just commenced on
Thursday, minor political parties scheduled for Friday's first
round of campaigns across the country had already begun showing
signs that their funding was running out.

Meanwhile, much of the public have turned their backs on the
campaigns, apparently uninterested in politicians regurgitating
programs not very different from those of the 1999 general
elections.

The cool reception left several speakers, who had prepared
long speeches to ensure that potential voters understood their
messages, stranded at the front of an empty venue, as was the
case in Makassar.

Even President Megawati Soekarnoputri felt the difference in
the tepid welcome she received from the Balinese people. Five
years ago, her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
won more than 60 percent of votes in Bali; the crowd in Gianyar
on Friday was clearly diminished compared to 1999.

The first round of the general elections campaign in Jakarta
involved three parties -- the Social Democratic Labor Party
(PBSD), the Marhaenisme Indonesian National Party (PNI
Marhaenisme) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) -- which were to
conduct an indoor campaign under a regulation of the General
Election Commission (KPU), with the condition that indoor
campaigns are to be a two-way public dialog.

The PBSD nearly bowed out of an indoor campaign at the Balai
Rakyat building in South Jakarta for financial reasons. When the
meeting finally opened -- 90 minutes behind schedule because of a
lack of participants -- it was attended by a only few teenagers,
who were outnumbered by the 75 policemen guarding the event.

PBSD executive Jonathan Purnawinata admitted that the party
could not attract many participants due to their limited budget
allocation for producing T-shirts and renting venues.

"Our party is a small one. We have allocate only about Rp 20
million for our campaign," he said.

Party chairman Muchtar Pakpahan may have dug his own grave
this week when he vowed to be buried alive if he broke his
promises when he became the new Indonesian president.

The PNI Marhaenisme also fared poorly in holding a public
dialog as planned, although the KPU had provided funds for the
party to hire out a venue.

PNI Marhaenisme, which is chaired by Megawati's younger sister
Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, only managed to campaign in five Jakarta
districts -- out of a total 44 districts.

Chairman of PNI Marhaenisme Jakarta Altein Takumansang
campaigned on Jl. Pemuda, East Jakarta, but public attendance
only numbered some 100 people.

Meanwhile, some 400 supporters of the PBB attended the party's
indoor campaign at the Bulungan sports hall, South Jakarta.

The campaign was attended by party executive Aan Sofwani, who
is a Jakarta Regional Representatives Council (DPD) candidate,
and legislative candidate Hamdan Zoelva. No question-and-answer
session with the candidates was hosted during the dialog.

As though they were watching a rock concert, the supporters,
most of whom were teens, constantly shouted and yelled out the
slogans promoted by the candidates onstage in the center of the
stadium.

Elsewhere in Medan, North Sumatra, eight parties that were
scheduled to campaign called off their plans due to a lack of
funds.

The parties said they had insufficient funds to provide their
supporters with honorariums, transportation, food and
entertainment.

In Maluku, residents of Ambon were indifferent and the
situation remained calm, with only the conflagration of party
paraphernalia strewn about the city to indicate that the campaign
period was on.

In Surabaya, East Java, the streets were absent of parades, as
only minor parties were scheduled to campaign for the day. Most,
however, had been unable to attract an audience, and decided to
cancel their public dialogs. Many campaigns were even canceled
because no voters had shown an interest in attending.

Unlike the majority of cities, in Cirebon, West Java, PDI-P
supporters had turned the city red, with around 30,000 supporters
thronging the streets to dominate the day.