Mega to tour regions before campaign

Mega to tour regions before campaign

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A week before the March 11 campaign period kicks off, President
Megawati Soekarnoputri is slated to tour several provinces for
working visits, but will spare one or two hours on each visit to
meet her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) members.

Megawati will start her week-long journey on Wednesday with
visits to South Sulawesi and Maluku, where she is also scheduled
to attend a gathering with PDI-P supporters.

The President is also the PDI-P leader, which is gunning to
win the April 5 general election as it did in 1999.

Campaigning will end on April 1, followed by three-day
cooling-off period.

On Thursday, after visiting the quake-devastated district of
Nabire in Papua, Megawati is slated to inaugurate a PDI-P branch
office there.

"Up through March 10, the President will have a busy schedule
visiting regions across the country. Some party events will be
squeezed into the schedule," a presidential palace official told
The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Over the weekend, the President is slated to visit West Java
and the war-torn province of Aceh. Further visits to Central
Java, South Sumatra and Riau will be made next week.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has asked all parties
to refrain from any activities to entice new voters.

All government officials will be banned from using state
facilities when they campaign for their respective parties,
except for the president's security detail, as well as that of
the vice president and members of their families.

Megawati's husband Taufik Kiemas will also be busy touring the
country during the campaign period and he will make use of the
security detail provided for him.

PDI-P secretary general Soetjipto said that Megawati's
activities should not be an issue, as she was still the President
and to do her duties by visiting regions.

"There is no problem just as current practice she will
continue to be on standby during the campaign period," Soetjipto
remarked.

The party has prepared around 600 national campaigners for the
20-day campaign period, before the legislative election on April
5.

Separately, Vice President Hamzah Haz will also campaign for
the United Development Party (PPP). He will take turns with
Megawati traveling outside the capital to campaign.

Hamzah said he would only campaign a few hours a day and fly
back each night, but would still work out a staggered schedule
with Megawati.

"We will ensure that the government will run as usual and both
me and Megawati will take turns making trips for campaigning," he
said.

Due to the absence of the regulation for both the president
and vice president to take a leave, the government decided that
both officials could conduct their campaigns between state
duties.