Parties start beating war drums

Parties start beating war drums

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta and other cities throughout the archipelago will be
much more colorful starting on Thursday morning and lasting until
April 1, as the 24 political parties contesting the April 5
legislative election take their campaigns to the streets.

The flags of the 24 parties will fly everywhere. Traffic jams
and traffic violations will increase as supporters of the parties
parade through cities in every type of vehicle imaginable.

The election campaign will begin in Jakarta on Thursday
morning with a joint parade by the 24 parties. Governor Sutiyoso
will officially see off the parade at City Hall.

Beginning on Friday, the parties will begin holding indoor
campaign stops. On March 21, however, Jakarta and the rest of the
country will take a breather from the campaign to recognize the
Hindu Day of Silence, or Nyepi.

During the indoor campaign stops, the parties are expected to
deliver their platforms for the next five years, with audience
members getting the chance to question politicians directly.

However, as many leaders of the parties have already admitted
that it can be very difficult to convince people about their
plans to improve the country, these question-and-answer campaign
stops may prove to be a tad boring. Most people are probably more
excited at the chance to see dangdut performances rather than
hearing campaign slogans.

"People will not trust our promises," Eros Djarot, the leader
of the Freedom Bull National Party (PNBK), told The Jakarta Post.

The Golkar Party, whose members were unable to wear T-shirts
with the party's symbol for fear of harassment during the 1999
general election, will fully participate in this year's campaign.

"We are going to turn the country yellow. We are going to
launch a nationwide campaign right after midnight," said Golkar
executive Bomer Pasaribu.

The Concern for the Nation Functional Party (PKPB), which
hopes to nominate Siti Hardijanti "Tutut" Rukmana, the daughter
of former president Soeharto, as its presidential candidate, will
try to steal the show during the carnival. During the 1999
general election, the Soehartos were often described as the
enemies of the nation.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who won
the most votes five years ago, will be sending out on the
campaign trail actors and actresses who are among the party's
legislative candidates.

The New Indonesia Alliance Party (PPIB), a relative newcomer
on the political scene, is only counting on a total of 103
campaigners across the country to lure voters.

With a lack of financial resources, the party will be relying
on its platform to attract voters.

Elsewhere, in Bali, the local elections commission (KPUD) will
mark the first day of the campaign by organizing a cultural
festival involving performances and a colorful parade of
traditional horse carts involving all 24 parties.

The chairman of the KPUD, A.A. Gede Oka Wisnumurti, said the
parade was aimed at encouraging the political parties to hold a
peaceful campaign.

Other cities such as Bandung, Yogyakarta and Mataram, in West
Nusa Tenggara, held the first day of campaigning on Wednesday
with peaceful parades.

More than 120 cars and trucks and hundreds of motorcycles
paraded down the main street in Bandung to promote a peaceful
campaign.

In Yogyakarta, thousands of motorcycles, horse carts and
bicycles decorated with symbols from the parties circled the city
to promote a peaceful campaign. Thousands of party supporters
crowded the main streets of the city

In Mataram, six members of the Indonesian Unity Party (PSI)
was hospitalized after their Toyota Kijang van collided with a
tree during a parade. The parade was concluded peacefully.