Pangkep islanders equate elections with free T-shirts

By Arifuddin Saeni

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): Politics, reforms, election campaigns -- all sound like gibberish in the remote fishing islands of Pangkep.

When news about the upcoming elections reached them, a typical question was: "Elections? Why so soon?" They were referring to their comparative recent trip to the polling booths in 1997.

In Mattirouleng village on Kulambing Island, about five hours by motorboat from Ujungpandang, the general election means people can expect free Golkar Party T-shirts and hats.

But since the political wind of change has been blowing, things have changed. Local officials can no longer restrict other political parties from entering the territory.

Tuwo, 21, bought an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) hat and a poster of the 48 political parties to put up on the deck of his fishing boat that will be heading for Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, this weekend.

But he is undecided on which party he will vote for on June 7.

Tuwo, who has been a member of a motorboat crew for four years, went to the polls for the first time in 1997. He cannot remember the process. The only thing he can remember is an "AB" card which allowed him to cast his vote anywhere.

He had to leave for work at sea a month before the election day. So he gave the card to Koneng, his mother. On polling day his mother, prompted by local bureaucrats, cast both their votes for Golkar.

In the islands, men account for the majority of the fishing population and delegating wives to the polling booth is common practice, condoned by officials. "I always do that," said Kunnu, a boat crew member.

And for next month's elections, both Tuwo and Kunnu have given their ballot cards to their wives because they will be away from home on voting day. Their boss has ordered them to prepare things to leave for Balikpapan.

"I am only a sawi (a crew member) and cannot do anything but take orders," said Tuwo.

Tuwo is a typical islander from Pangkep, one of South Sulawesi's main fish producing sites.

Pangkep is made up of some 450 islets and is divided into two subdistricts, Liukangtangaya and Liukangkalmas. Official statistics show that of the 1,767 population of Kulambing, 739 are eligible voters.

Abdul Rasyid, an official in charge of voter registration, said that on the election day, the 190 crew members would be on their way to Java, Kalimantan and Malaysia.

Empty promises

Jama, 25, and Arifin, 27, are expecting the usual free T- shirts and party attributes from the Golkar Party.

For Arifin, a crew member of Mustika Baru, a motorized boat with a capacity for 50 passengers plying the Pangkajene Market- Kulambing Island route, the general election means nothing. He said political parties offered nothing but empty promises.

"The islanders are not interested in parties which offer promises. We're better off going to Balikpapan," he said.

People in Mattirouleng village, which has a population of 1,760 people, know of only two parties, Golkar and the Moslem- based United Development Party (PPP), according to Arifin.

Arifin said he talks about a range of issues with boat passengers. Topics range from household affairs to the upcoming elections.

"Over the past several weeks, people have asked a lot about the free T-shirts from political parties. In the past, we received Golkar T-shirts two months ahead of election day," he said.

Jama added that a week before election day, the islands usually undergo a process of "yellowization", the color of Golkar.

Now, Kulambing islanders can openly express their support for PPP. the party's attributes, especially T-shirts and hats, are in high demand. The attributes are brought in by fishermen, who buy them outside the island group and offer them for sale. They are also swapped for the catch at the fish markets.

Baharuddin, an executive of the PPP branch office at Mattirouleng, said islanders were proud to wear his party's T- shirts. They wear the attributes when they are at sea, at the market or when they go into town.

Another PPP official, Mahfud, said people could now freely show their support for PPP because local government officials no longer intimidated people who criticize Golkar.

"In the latest (1997) elections, two PPP functionaries from Ujungpandang and 200 party supporters were banned from campaigning in the islands. At that time, 12 motorboats had been readied for the rallies," Mahfud said.

He pointed out that such restrictions had only increased people's distrust of the government.

H. Miraj, 56, a boatmaker from Tupabiring Island, said that in the 1997 elections, many people voted for PPP, but that the party always lost because of vote-rigging.

"Now see, every house has PPP symbols," he said.

H. Datang, 67, an ardent Golkar supporter, said he was optimistic Golkar would retain victory in the islands.