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.