First campaign day

First campaign day

From Suara Karya

I am a mother of three sons, ranging in age from 13 to 17 years. Because of the age of my children and the recent reports of unrest in the country, I am very worried.

I am afraid my children will become involved in rioting or be the victims of such unrest.

To be honest, I find it difficult to always monitor my children's actions. My worries were not abated when the government proclaimed April 27 as the first day of campaigning for the 1997 election. I figured that this campaign would be the same as before, involving members of the three election parties. I imagined that such conditions could easily develop into a violent situation, and I am sure that many mothers shared my qualms.

But my worries were groundless. I felt immediately relieved after the first day of campaigning. As far as I could observe from the mass media, the election campaigns were held separately and did not attract large numbers of people on the road.

I would like to thank the authorities for their organization of the election campaign. I am particularly grateful because my children were not persuaded into aggressive or violent campaigning.

I thank Golkar campaigners like Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, better known as Tutut, for urging people to campaign in an orderly manner.

I hope the atmosphere of the first day will be maintained throughout the campaign.

Aside from this, I would also like to request a few suggestions from mothers about effective child supervision outside the home. Mothers are encouraged to send their "recipes" to Suara Karya daily.

MRS. NANI MUSTIKAATI

Bogor, West Java