Mega says beware of bribes, as PDI-P hands out cash

Mega says beware of bribes, as PDI-P hands out cash

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta/Yogyakarta/Surakarta

While observers are warning political parties and the public to
be on the alert for vote-buying, at least one high-profile
candidate is apparently worried by attempts from rival parties to
bribe voters.

On Wednesday, the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P), President Megawati Soekarnoputri expressed her
feelings on the issue, amid nationwide criticism of her
supporters' ill-mannered behavior. She warned her audience to
repel attempts by rival parties trying to buy them off on the eve
of the legislative election on April 5.

Addressing a cheering crowd of thousands in Bekasi, West Java,
Megawati said, "Say no to money politics, and fight for PDI-P."

In the years under former president Soeharto the "dawn attack"
was a popular term referring to supporters of political parties
going door-to-door on the morning of election day to bribe
voters.

Megawati, however, seemed completely ignorant of the credible
reports that her campaign organizers in Bandung over the weekend
were seen distributing Rp 50,000 notes to each person at a large
rally.

The PDI-P campaign was also marred by reports of PDI-P youths
forcefully requesting freebies from local shops.

In Jakarta, the Golkar Party largely refrained from their
usual massive convoys, seemingly not wanting to provoke
resentment. The previously dominant party in the Soeharto years,
however, still showed their might by holding indoor campaign
rallies in 44 regencies, each attended by an average of 700
supporters, a Golkar official claimed.

One lively campaign rally on Wednesday took place in South
Jakarta, where campaigner Rev. Pati Ginting of the Prosperous
Peace Party (PDS) entertained and cajoled his audience.

The prolonged crisis, he said, was not only caused by
corruption, but also because "the children of God are not free to
worship. They're not free to build churches!" Ginting told some
500 party faithful.

PDS is the only Christian-oriented party that was granted
eligibility status by the election commission. According to
government statistics, Catholics and Protestants make up
approximately 10 percent of the country's population.

Ginting exhorted the people to vote for Christians running for
important positions in state institutions to ensure that all
citizens could freely practice their religion.

He said more Christians were needed in legislative bodies to
prevent discriminative legislation, apparently a reference to
last year's education bill. A nationwide controversy erupted
after the House of Representatives endorsed the Education Law.
Most non-Muslims in the country were outraged because the law
requires all schools to provide religious instruction according
to the faith of the students, even at private Christian, Hindu or
Buddhist schools, which many Muslims attend citing a higher
standard of education.

Megawati's brother, Guruh Soekarnoputra in Yogyakarta
reiterated PDI-P's intention to win over 50 percent of the votes.
He said the party had enough support to win both the legislative
and presidential elections by more than 50 percent.

In the province's Bantul regency, six PDI-P supporters were
injured after a group of teens allegedly threw stones at their
convoy of vehicles.

In Surakarta, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) canceled its
campaign due to intimidation against the party's members and
supporters. The decision followed the beating of a PKS supporter,
Arif Kristanto, reportedly by a PDI-P gang, during a campaign
event on March 18.

Police also confiscated bottles of liquor during a campaign on
Wednesday and warned PDI-P to control their unruly red-clad band
of ruffians.