Golkar's voter information drive draws fire
JAKARTA (JP): The ruling political organization's alleged premature electioneering in Central and East Java has angered politicians from the rival parties.
Politicians from the minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the United Development Party (PPP) said yesterday that Golkar's activities are a blatant violation of the electoral rules.
Aberson Marle Sihaloho, a PDI legislator, said the President, as the election organizer, should move to stop the illegal electioneering undertaken by village chiefs.
Golkar, the Moslem-based PPP and the nationalists-Christian alliance PDI will contest next year's election for the 425 seats in the house of Representatives.
Golkar, who currently has 282 seats in the House, intends to recoup the 17 seats it lost to the PDI and PPP in the 1992 election to augment its majority.
Under the electoral rules, election campaigning is determined by the General Election Institute. It is usually conducted only about one month ahead of the election day.
"The House members should convene to discuss what the President should do to stop the campaigning," Aberson told The Jakarta Post.
Village chiefs in Central and East Java have reportedly embarked on door-to-door campaigning for Golkar. But the governors of the two provinces have denied the reports.
PPP chief Ismail Hasan Metareum has denounced the premature electioneering and threatened to file a complaint with the Official Election Monitoring Committee.
It was reported that village chiefs gave residents forms on which they were asked to write down their personal identity, job, address and which political organization they would vote for in the next election.
The premature electioneering took place in the Central Java towns of Pemalang, Tegal and Pekalongan, and in a number of villages in the East Java regencies of Gresik and Pasuruan.
Chief of the Gresik PPP chapter Sa'i Musa told The Post yesterday he had been flooded with reports from party members on Golkar's campaigning.
"All this shows that democratization is leading nowhere. More and more government officials trick us ordinary people," he said.
East Java governor Basofi Soedirman claims he knew nothing of the alleged premature electioneering.
"If it is proven that village chiefs have made rounds of residents, it doesn't matter. People don't have to fill in the forms if they are not inclined to do so," he said.
Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman and the General Election Institute also claimed they "knew nothing" of the alleged electioneering.
"I have yet to accept reports on it. You should go to the Ministry of Home Affairs to seek confirmation. I do not know all things," Soesilo said yesterday.
On Monday Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung threatened to crush any attempt to sabotage the 1997 general election.
"ABRI is determined to make the general election in 1997 and the presidential election in 1998 a success," he said in a written statement conveyed by Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo. (15/rms)