Megawati-PPP banners ban bagged

JAKARTA (JP): It was thumbs down yesterday to a government ban on banners and pictures portraying an alliance between the deposed Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) leader, Megawati Soekarnoputri, and the United Development Party (PPP).

"It's not appropriate to ban people from expressing their political aspirations," PPP Secretary-general Tosari Wijaya said yesterday.

Tosari said the ban would kill people's creativity. He defended the PPP supporters who carried the banned banners by saying their actions were not a problem so long as they did not disturb security and order.

"We cannot stop those supporters participating in the campaign. Everything has been spontaneous," he said.

He said all the party's banners and material had been approved by police. If supporters created their own banners and posters, "it's beyond our control".

On Monday, the government banned banners and pictures inscribed with "Mega-bintang" on the grounds that they breached election rules and an agreement by the three parties. Mega is a nickname for Megawati, and bintang (star) is the PPP's symbol.

PPP Chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum said here he was surprised by the ban, and could not understand why displaying the banners was considered a violation.

"Mega-bintang means great star. It has nothing to do with Megawati," Metareum said, adding that the ban could not be justified.

PPP deputy chairman Jusuf Syakir said in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, that the General Elections Committee should not have issued the ban.

"The government shouldn't have bothered with such minor details," he said.

The government-recognized PDI faction's secretary-general, Buttu R. Hutapea, said yesterday he supported the ban. "The committee has never recognized any parties other than the three contestants," he said.

He shrugged off the exodus of Megawati loyalists to PPP. "That's no guarantee that they will vote for PPP. A great deal depends on the voters themselves because the process (voting) is confidential and nobody else will know which party they punch."

Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs, Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, said yesterday the transfer of supporters from one party to another was lawful.

"People are free to channel their political aspirations to any of the three contestants," Syarwan said while supervising a PDI rally in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

On the alliance between Megawati supporters and the PPP, Syarwan said he would wait to hear Megawati's opinion on her supporters' move.

Criticism of the government's ban has come hard and fast, including from the Association of Moslem Students, which said: "It's not wise to dismiss the public's creativity and political appreciation as it will be counterproductive and hamper the country's democratization.

"The government should motivate people and provide room for the development of people's initiative and give them the right to express their political aspirations and interests," the association said in a statement.

The Independent Election Supervision Committee's (KIPP) secretary-general, Mulyana W. Kusumah, said the government should not be suspicious of the emerging alliance.

"The Megawati-PPP coalition should be accepted as an unavoidable fact following the government's decision to make Soerjadi the lawful PDI chairman after a government-backed congress in last June," he said.

He said Megawati supporters decision to vote for the PPP should be considered lawful.

"We all know that the transfer of supporters from one political organization to another has been a common phenomenon since the early stage of this general election," he said.

Despite of the government ban, people at PPP rallies carried banners and posters yesterday promoting the Megawati-PPP alliance.

Many people in green-and-red clothes were among the crowd at a PPP rally in Ujungpandang.

In Yogyakarta, about 100 Megawati loyalists in black-and-white clothes rode motorbikes through the city's main streets, while Soerjadi's faction was organizing a rally in nearby Sleman.

In Jakarta, Soerjadi said the alliance was merely "a game orchestrated by the PPP" which would not affect him or his supporters.

"The PPP beats the drum and enjoys it very much, but we will not dance to it. We will follow our own rhythm," Soerjadi said.

Soerjadi refused to judge the alliance, and said it was not the PDI's concern.

He said he did not understand why people thought a new alliance had emerged.

"How many people are there (Megawati supporters)? They will not give the PPP a significant boost," Soerjadi said. (imn/bsr/amd/37/05/38/31/amd)

Campaign -- Page 4

Alliance -- Page 5