Golkar happy for with new converts
Golkar happy for with new converts
JAKARTA (JP): The city chapter of Golkar was elated yesterday.
Even though Golkar's victory was hardly breaking news, local
executives saw each development of tallying across the city's 43
districts as a telling sign of their efforts, or lack of it.
Out of the 7.45 million voters in the city, preliminary
results as of 2 p.m. yesterday showed 2.8 million voted for
Golkar, 2.1 million for the United Development Party (PPP) and
only 100,020 for the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
Opponents had been concerned about Golkar's financial power
and their domination of bureaucracy from neighborhoods on up.
Their ability to provide thousands of free identity cards to
people, had been interpreted by PPP and PDI as a ploy to win more
votes.
Nevertheless, Golkar's interpretation -- naturally denying any
links to vote grabbing -- may provide some insight.
Nitra Arsyad, a city Golkar executive in charge of analyzing
the electorate, sounded happy with at least two districts
switching to Golkar. His observations late yesterday were based
on reports from local Golkar executives, but he declined to give
any figures as they were not official.
At least two strongholds of the other contestants, he said,
have become Golkar converts: Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, where
PPP won in previous elections; and Kemayoran, Central Jakarta,
formerly a PDI base.
Tanah Abang's outcome was surprising because of a riot in
which residents, including street vendors, burned down a local
district office on Jan. 27. Tanah Abang had been a PPP stronghold
since 1977, he said.
"We lost three (of seven) subdistricts," he said.
Nitra said Golkar improved "communications" through informal
leaders in both areas.
In Kwitang, Central Jakarta, he said, Golkar had a marked
increase in votes. "Previously we lacked touch with the local
Betawi (Jakarta native) community," he said. Golkar's strategy of
placing more candidates of Betawi origin may have won support.
In Mampang, South Jakarta, an area hit hard by campaign riots,
PPP prevailed. Nitra attributed this to the remaining influence
of local landlords of Betawi origin linked to Nahdhatul Ulama.
Nitra says Golkar's victory in other riot-hit areas proves
predictions of a conservative reaction to the United Development
Party.
He said tallies dominated by Golkar in Cawang, Klender and
Bidara Cina "reflect housewives' desires to have more security"
in the area, which was ravaged by violence during campaigning.
Support for Golkar in Condet, East Jakarta, he said, "is
consistent with the rejection of Megawati's office there." PDI's
congressionally elected leader Megawati Soekarnoputri had her
home-turned-office closed down by the East Jakarta mayoralty, on
grounds that it was a residential area.
Another area where Golkar votes drastically decreased, he
said, was the North Jakarta subdistricts of Pluit in Penjaringan,
and Kalibaru in Cilincing.
Chinese-Indonesian residents in North Jakarta housing estates
likely voted for Golkar, he said, but the large portion of slum
residents "may have been disgruntled by the river improvement
program".
Yesterday Lukman F. Mokoginta, PDI's city chapter chairman,
was unavailable for comment.
PPP
The chairman of the city's chapter of PPP, Rusdi Hamka, said
Golkar's victory in the city was "extraordinary".
"We also received many votes, but they won't mean much," he
said.
The stakes for City Council were only 60 out of 75 seats; ABRI
members will be appointed for the remaining 15.
"I'm very disappointed," Rusdi said.
"We were doing so well (in supporter turnout in campaigns) and
our votes increased, but now we'll only get a few seats."
There were many incidents of "dishonesty", Rusdi said.
He said the United Development Party has found cases of civil
servants voting twice.
"Another example," he said, "is that witnesses had
difficulties in receiving signed minutes of the voting."
(anr/ste)
JAKARTA (JP): The city chapter of Golkar was elated yesterday.
Even though Golkar's victory was hardly breaking news, local
executives saw each development of tallying across the city's 43
districts as a telling sign of their efforts, or lack of it.
Out of the 7.45 million voters in the city, preliminary
results as of 2 p.m. yesterday showed 2.8 million voted for
Golkar, 2.1 million for the United Development Party (PPP) and
only 100,020 for the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).
Opponents had been concerned about Golkar's financial power
and their domination of bureaucracy from neighborhoods on up.
Their ability to provide thousands of free identity cards to
people, had been interpreted by PPP and PDI as a ploy to win more
votes.
Nevertheless, Golkar's interpretation -- naturally denying any
links to vote grabbing -- may provide some insight.
Nitra Arsyad, a city Golkar executive in charge of analyzing
the electorate, sounded happy with at least two districts
switching to Golkar. His observations late yesterday were based
on reports from local Golkar executives, but he declined to give
any figures as they were not official.
At least two strongholds of the other contestants, he said,
have become Golkar converts: Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, where
PPP won in previous elections; and Kemayoran, Central Jakarta,
formerly a PDI base.
Tanah Abang's outcome was surprising because of a riot in
which residents, including street vendors, burned down a local
district office on Jan. 27. Tanah Abang had been a PPP stronghold
since 1977, he said.
"We lost three (of seven) subdistricts," he said.
Nitra said Golkar improved "communications" through informal
leaders in both areas.
In Kwitang, Central Jakarta, he said, Golkar had a marked
increase in votes. "Previously we lacked touch with the local
Betawi (Jakarta native) community," he said. Golkar's strategy of
placing more candidates of Betawi origin may have won support.
In Mampang, South Jakarta, an area hit hard by campaign riots,
PPP prevailed. Nitra attributed this to the remaining influence
of local landlords of Betawi origin linked to Nahdhatul Ulama.
Nitra says Golkar's victory in other riot-hit areas proves
predictions of a conservative reaction to the United Development
Party.
He said tallies dominated by Golkar in Cawang, Klender and
Bidara Cina "reflect housewives' desires to have more security"
in the area, which was ravaged by violence during campaigning.
Support for Golkar in Condet, East Jakarta, he said, "is
consistent with the rejection of Megawati's office there." PDI's
congressionally elected leader Megawati Soekarnoputri had her
home-turned-office closed down by the East Jakarta mayoralty, on
grounds that it was a residential area.
Another area where Golkar votes drastically decreased, he
said, was the North Jakarta subdistricts of Pluit in Penjaringan,
and Kalibaru in Cilincing.
Chinese-Indonesian residents in North Jakarta housing estates
likely voted for Golkar, he said, but the large portion of slum
residents "may have been disgruntled by the river improvement
program".
Yesterday Lukman F. Mokoginta, PDI's city chapter chairman,
was unavailable for comment.
PPP
The chairman of the city's chapter of PPP, Rusdi Hamka, said
Golkar's victory in the city was "extraordinary".
"We also received many votes, but they won't mean much," he
said.
The stakes for City Council were only 60 out of 75 seats; ABRI
members will be appointed for the remaining 15.
"I'm very disappointed," Rusdi said.
"We were doing so well (in supporter turnout in campaigns) and
our votes increased, but now we'll only get a few seats."
There were many incidents of "dishonesty", Rusdi said.
He said the United Development Party has found cases of civil
servants voting twice.
"Another example," he said, "is that witnesses had
difficulties in receiving signed minutes of the voting."
(anr/ste)