Parties back strict rules on campaigning

Parties back strict rules on campaigning

JAKARTA (JP): Representatives of political parties support a
strict code of conduct to govern campaign activities, including
stiff sanctions for offending parties and supporters, to guard
against violence when electioneering gets underway on May 18.

In a discussion on Saturday, they disagreed on the issue of
restricting campaigning to indoor rallies. A representative of a
new party claimed it was unfair because it would prevent the
public from getting to know the crop of newly founded
organizations.

The election is scheduled on June 7.

Qomari Anwar, chief of the research and development department
of the United Development Party, Theo Sambuaga, deputy chairman
of the ruling Golkar and Nur Mahmudi Isma'il, president of the
Justice Party, were among participants in the discussion on a
"New Indonesia" organized by Forum Salemba.

Also in attendance were about 700 students from the University
of Indonesia, Bandung Institute of Technology and Airlangga
University in Surabaya.

Theo said the code of conduct would be used to hold
responsible any party organizing a rally which became violent.

"If a campaign turns out to be violent, parties organizing it
should be banned from taking part in the election and supporters
involved in the violence should be given stiff penalties."

The election committee, scheduled to replace the government-
run General Election Institute (LPU) on March 1, will first draw
up an election conduct code.

Qomari said parties should be barred from mobilizing masses
before and during the campaign period.

"Parties should also be barred from organizing campaign
activities in open fields and party supporters should not be
allowed to take to the streets because such conditions are liable
to violent clashes."

Past campaigns have been marked by rallies in public spaces,
drawing huge crowds.

Qomari said the nation should learn from untoward experiences
from clashes during past campaigns. The government ruled rallies
should only held indoors in the 1997 election, but violence often
occurred during the journeys to the sites.

"Amid the uncertain condition and economic crisis, the next
rallies could be worse if political parties are allowed to
mobilize their supporters to take to the streets and hold
campaign activities in open fields." He advocated restricting
campaign messages to the indoors and through the media.

"Campaign activities in open fields are not effective to hold
dialogs with a crowd of between 50,000 and 100,000."

He believed most of the rally participants were drawn by the
dangdut music and singers rather than any curiosity about party
platforms.

Nur Mahmudi agreed strict campaign rules were needed but said
the parties, especially new ones, should be allowed to hold their
campaign meetings in the open to better reach the public.

"The old political parties should not be egotistical...
Campaign activities should be allowed to be held in open fields
to let people know about their name, symbol and programs."

Nur Mahmudi said much of the past violence was not caused by
the political parties, but resulted from repressive actions taken
by the government against the United Development Party and the
Indonesian Democratic Party. (rms)