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