Minority parties greet campaign ideas skeptically

JAKARTA (JP): Members of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and the United Development Party (PPP) have reacted differently to their rival Golkar's proposal to ban political rallies and limit election campaigning to media debates.

Aberson Marle Sihaloho of the PDI said the proposal would deal a heavy blow to both the PDI and PPP because Golkar has control over the electronic mass media.

Television and radio are the most effective media for political parties because they reach practically all corners of the country and people from all layers of society, Aberson said.

"The Armed Forces-sponsored proposal to ban outdoor campaigns shows that Golkar is unsure if it still has the people's support," the legislator told The Jakarta Post.

Separately, PPP deputy secretary-general Anwar Nuris said his party is ready for both indoor and outdoor campaigns prior to the 1997 general election.

Political rallies, however, should not be totally banned. "Outdoor campaigns are good for ordinary people who do not have the privilege to attend indoor ones," he said, adding that the PDI and PPP are more accustomed to street rallies than debates.

He added that political debates are still not suitable because nearly 85 percent of Indonesia's 195 million people only have elementary education backgrounds.

Golkar chairman Harmoko, whose position as Minister of Information gives him control of the mass media, said on Tuesday that Golkar is pushing its proposal to replace outdoor rallies with indoor campaigns of dialog and discussion.

The plan, which most political observers believe will only benefit Golkar, is being finalized by the Armed Forces, which also endorses the proposal.

Caution

Expressing caution, Riswandha Imawan of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University said that indoor campaigns could backfire unless Golkar is truly well-prepared.

Golkar campaigners in urban areas will have a hard time facing critical, educated audiences who are aware of Golkar's weaknesses.

"In rural areas they only have to face an audience that is not well-versed in politics and their discussions will lead nowhere," he said. "Moreover, many Golkar campaigners do not have grassroots support."

Meanwhile, a senior Golkar official from Semarang, Muladi, said the ruling political group should not be afraid to take the challenge to have public, televised debates with politicians from the PDI and PPP.

"Golkar has a lot of smart, creative members. Why should we be afraid of public debates?" Muladi told The Post in reference to Harmoko's statement in Jakarta last Monday that Golkar is not interested in using public debates to attract voters.

Harmoko argued that each political party should court voters through their own campaigns.

"Public debates should not be considered taboo as long as they are meant as a means to solve state problems and not to finding each other's faults," he said. (pan/har)