Megawati-PPP banners ban bagged

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)

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