Parties gear up for elections

Parties gear up for elections

As many as 141 political parties have passed the first "test"
in order to contest the June 7 general election. They meet the
stipulated administrative requirements. As of Saturday evening,
102 of those had been registered with the General Election
Institution (LPU) prior to being judged eligible for the contest
by the Team of Eleven. The Jakarta Post's Benget Simbolon, Edith
Hartanto, Dwi Atmanta, Mohammad Yazid, Ridwan Max Sijabat, Riyadi,
Yogita Tahil Ramani and IGN Oka Budhi Yogaswara examine the
parties, their prospect and profile.

JAKARTA (JP): Thirteen weeks ahead of the June 7 general
election, the political condition at home is much different from
what it was some months ago as most people have paid attention to
the revived multiparty polls.

Both electronic and print media have concentrated their
reports on and around the elections and political parties'
activities on the eve of the election.

A great number of new political parties are busy making
preparations, including organizing campaign-model grand meetings.

Streets in Jakarta, provincial capitals and other urban and
rural areas across the country have been filled with "political"
banners and flags at strategic sites.

In addition many drivers have put their favorite party's
symbols on their cars, public buses, cars and trucks.

Logos and party flags highlighting the streets predominantly
belong to the ruling Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP),
the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Crescent Star Party (PBB)
and the Justice and Unity Party (PKP).

At least 141 of 234 political parties registered with the Home
Affairs Ministry have passed the first selection process
conducted by the Ministry of Justice and they are now undergoing
verification by the independent Team of Eleven.

All political parties are subject to this verification, which
is intended to find out if they indeed have the minimum number of
provincial and district branches required. Even the old poll
contestants -- Golkar, PPP and Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
-- must undergo the procedures stipulated by the 1999 law on
general elections.

The law requires political parties to have at least nine
provincial chapters, with each of them having representatives in
half of the province's regencies.

Many people have observed that despite the huge number only
between 20 and 30 parties are expected to clear the Team of
Eleven's test.

The team has found many party branches in the regencies run
their secretariats from food stalls or private homes.

A team member, Adi Andojo Sutjipto, who is in charge of West
and Central Java, said many parties rejected verification because
of their poor preparations.

Favorites

Among the parties to watch are Golkar, PDI Perjuangan, PPP,
PAN, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Justice and Unity
Party (PKP), the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the Indonesian Uni-
democracy Party, the Republic Party and the Nadhlatul Ummat Party
(NU).

Theo Sambuaga, Golkar deputy chairman, said that despite
fierce criticisms and condemnations from many sides, Golkar
should be considered a favorite party because it still has loyal
members and sympathizers in urban and rural areas across the
country.

"We have held consolidation meetings in 66,000 villages," he
said recently. He stated that his party is fighting it out to win
support from youth from all layers, businessmen, farmers,
fishermen, the education world in the country and ulemas.

In the past Golkar was widely known as a vehicle of former
president Soeharto whose 32-year rule ended following May 1998
students demonstrations.

Golkar won each of the last six elections but did not do much
to encourage democracy. It has also been blamed for the widening
socioeconomic gap.

Haryanto Taslam, deputy secretary of PDI Perjuangan, said that
his party hopes to make the general election a success as a
democratic way of saving the nation from chaos and
disintegration.

He said that his party is ready both physically and
financially to contest the fiesta of democracy. He said PDI has
chapters in 26 provinces and branches in 245 of 318 regencies and
it has built Gotong Royong command posts in almost all villages
in Java, Bali, Sumatra and Sulawesi.

"At least Java and Bali are in hand," he told reporters
recently.

Hamzah Haz, PPP chairman, said that his party has nothing to
worry about since it had fared well in the past elections.

"PPP has a special place in the people's hearts but it has
been never "given" opportunities to be a winner because of
manipulation in the past," he said recently in a party gathering
in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

He said he was optimistic his party, which has met all legal
and administrative requirements for the elections, would grab at
least 30 percent of the votes in the next election.

Muhaimin Iskandar, PKB secretary general, said that the party
has three segments and three main programs.

"PKB votes will be 70 percent from the around 30 million
Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) followers, 15 percent from the Chinese and
Christians and another 15 percent from Muslim people outside NU,"
he said.

PKB and Nadhlatul Ummat Party are two of the four political
parties which expect support from NU followers. Both parties will
particularly seek voters in East Java, especially in Islamic
boarding schools (pesantren) in the province.

Santoso, PAN deputy secretary general, said his party has
disseminated the idea of New Indonesia as its political platform
and has drawn enthusiasm from almost all layers of society.

"Our main program is to establish a new Indonesia and the rule
of law, and thus put an end to the crisis," he said recently.

Many parties have taken Islam as their principle in a bid to
woo voters. These parties include the Justice Party, New Masyumi,
the Islamic Syarikat Party, the Two Verses Party, the Muslim Umat
Party and many others which have great potential of winning the
election if they join forces, or merge.

Apart from fears that the elections will be prone to violence,
just and honest polls remain a big question mark.

Arbi Sanit, a political expert from the University of
Indonesia, has criticized the law on political parties for
threatening only 30 days jail and a Rp 100 million fine for
parties found guilty of indulging in money politics.

"The law should impose stiff sanctions on violating donors and
parties," he said, citing the fact that parties receiving more
than that stipulated by the law were not subject to punishment.

The law allows individuals to contribute a maximum of Rp 15
million a month and companies a maximum of Rp 150 million a month
to political parties. It also barred parties from receiving
foreign aid.

According to the law, political parties are obliged to make an
annual financial report to the Supreme Court and they should be
open to audit by public accountants. The court has the authority
to disband violating parties.

Besides, the law also requires political parties to uphold the
1945 Constitution and Pancasila state ideology and to maintain
national unity.