Election speeches to be screened

JAKARTA (JP): All election campaign broadcasts must be approved by the government before they go on air, according to electoral rules issued yesterday.

The General Elections Institute, which will screen the speeches, was quick to stress this was not a form of censorship.

"The screening team will ensure that the speeches do not undermine Pancasila, slander government officials or attack the other election contestants," Walujo, the institute's deputy secretary-general, said.

The screening team will include officials from the institute, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Information.

Walujo suggested that candidates focus their campaign speeches on economic development programs. "Their input is an important source in the process of drawing up the 1998 to 2003 Guidelines of State Policies and in future reform programs," he said.

Director General of Press and Graphics Subrata said campaign speeches were already regulated by rules and ethics issued by the election institute in November.

The regulations on campaign speeches are part of the latest election campaign guidelines contained in a decree signed by Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M.

The dominant political group Golkar is contesting the May 29 election against the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

The government has restricted the campaigning period from April 27 to May 23. A five-day, cooling-off period -- during which no campaigning is allowed -- precedes polling day.

The government has restricted the campaigning methods, urging contestants to hold indoor meetings rather than outdoor rallies to avoid violence or disturbances of the peace.

To help all three political organizations reach a wider audience, the state television network TVRI and the state radio RRI will be at their disposal during the campaign period free of charge. The 27-day election period will be divided equally between the three contestants.

Minister of Information Harmoko, who oversees TVRI and RRI, said in a separate decree that seven of the nine times a contestant is given access to the television and radio networks should be used for half-hour public debates.

The other two times are for 15-minute monologues which should be delivered by the chairman of the respective organizations.

These programs must be prerecorded and the networks must receive the text of the materials for the monologues or debates five days before they are aired.

The programs will be relayed nationwide by the state networks and private radio and television stations.

In the public debates, the number of participants should not exceed 30 people, including the audience.

The debates are to be moderated by "neutral experts" appointed by the government. The moderator will not be allowed to give his or her opinions but would be allowed to control the debate if veers off course.

The decree bans political advertising on radio or television.

Any contestant who violates the broadcasting guidelines is liable to lose their allotted television and radio times.

Leaders of the two minority parties criticized the restrictions yesterday as new forms of censorship, but they said they were resigned to having to comply with the regulations.

Jusuf Syakir of the PPP said the regulations violated the consensus the three contestants reached with the government in a meeting to discuss the campaign rules last November.

Jusuf questioned the rule preventing the PPP from choosing its own moderator in the election debates.

"Why should we have to use a moderator who is not familiar with the topic of the debate?

"It seems that the government wants to let us be free, but at the same time it is also restraining us," he said.

Budi Hardjono, who represented PDI at the November meeting, said the screening of campaign material shows the government is still mistrustful of the election contestants.

"Censorship is illogical. A political party is a legitimate organization and it will not break away from the state ideology Pancasila or the election rules," Budi said.

M. Budyatna, a mass communications expert and dean of the University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Sciences, said the rules violate the right to freedom of expression.

The rules were issued to help Golkar, he said.

"The government should not take sides. It only harms its image. Everybody knows that Golkar will win," he said. (imn/amd)