Golkar proposes indoor campaigns in next elections

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar is preparing to push its idea that outdoor election campaign rallies be replaced with indoor discussions, starting with the 1997 general elections.

Chairman of the ruling political grouping, Harmoko, said yesterday that campaign methods were among the central issues being discussed in Golkar's ongoing leadership meeting.

Speaking after opening the three-day annual meeting, Harmoko said it is time for Indonesia to develop forms of election campaigning that are more "communicative".

Harmoko, who is also the Minister of Information, said that the indoor campaign could take the forms of seminars, discussions and other kinds of gatherings.

However, Harmoko flatly rejected the suggestion that political debates be held between the three election contestants -- Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP), and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

He said Golkar wanted there to be "campaigns in the form of discussions" within each political party rather than between the political contestants.

The proposal of Golkar for indoor election campaigns received significant support yesterday.

Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman, Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M., and Armed Forces chief of socio-political affairs Lt. Gen. Moch. Ma'ruf, all said that the Golkar's proposal would represent an improvement on the current methods of electioneering.

"Remember how crowded and jammed the traffic became when the three contestants held rallies on the same day (during previous elections)?," Soesilo told journalists.

Another advantage of the proposed indoor electioneering would be that discussions could be witnessed or heard by more people at the same time through radio and television broadcasts, he said.

However, Soesilo stressed that the three contestants would need to sit down together and decide whether to accept the proposal and implement it in the coming elections.

Yogie said a decision on the proposal would be made next year.

Ma'ruf welcome the proposal on the ground that the proposed method, if applied, would help reduce security problems for both the political contestants and the public.

He dismissed the suggestions that the proposed system would only benefit Golkar, which some people said was already more prepared than the PPP and the PDI.

"That would depend on the implementation of the (proposed) method," Ma'ruf said.

Golkar has often been criticized as launching activities, such as holding massive rallies of members across the country, which smacked of electioneering, while PPP and PDI often encounter difficulties in their attempts to hold similar gatherings.

Some observers have accused Golkar of "stealing" the time available for campaign rallies. Under the existing rules, election campaigning may be carried out only several weeks before election day. rallies and outdoor campaigns are permitted to be held only for one month, several weeks before polls are conducted.

Maj. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, Assistant to the Armed Forces' chief of socio-political affairs, said that only the best election campaign and rally method would be used in the 1997 campaign.

"We have to meet the requirements for clean and fair general elections, but we also have to take care of public security and consider all the risks," he added.

Indonesians are set to go to the polls again in 1997 to elect members of the House of Representatives.

Golkar has swept all past five general elections, winning at least two-thirds of the total votes each time. (imn)