Party colors

Party colors

Like most foreigners, we fled Jakarta during the last days of
the election campaign. Concerned embassies had warned foreigners
to stay at home or leave the city. So we did, and we had an
enjoyable time in south Sumatra, far away from the crowds,
traffic jams, pollution and yes... the rallies.

During those four days in Sumatra it looked as if no campaign
was going on, being used to the endless rallies on the streets of
Jakarta. There was no need to adopt party colors for protection
or rehearse the parties' finger symbols, for fear of giving the
wrong one during a rally.

But campaigning was still evident in certain areas. Flags
(usually yellow), posters urging people to vote and people
dressed in yellow T-shirts were evident on the streets. The thing
that struck me most, during and after our holiday, was a small
party in the village. Here, dangdut music could be heard and a
Golkar official was rallying. Children, dressed in yellow T-
shirts and caps, gave the Golkar two-finger sign.

Being tall, blond foreigners, we were easily spotted when we
stopped in the village for a drink. Soon, we were the center of
attention. The campaign leader's words faded into the distance
and people stopped dancing to dangdut music. We were
photographed, given yellow caps, and invited to stay for a free
lunch. The campaign leader told the crowd, which had moved in our
direction, that some foreign guests would join the rally. While
that was not entirely our plan, we joined in since the atmosphere
was pleasant, party-like, and the children were enthusiastic.
After all, we were also in a festive mood, being on holiday.

So among our pictures of green rice paddies, splendid mountain
views, blue lakes and white sandy beaches are photos of me
standing in a sea of yellow.

The odd thing is, that after returning, I happened to read The
Jakarta Post's little box that is always provided on page 2 and
learned it wasn't a Golkar campaign day in Sumatra after all. I
remembered putting a red cap on my head, I had figured it must
have been a Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) day. Being
sympathetic and neutral, I am always willing to join the
Indonesian people in their "festival of democracy".

In another article, I read about 2,700 violations of the
campaign rules. I wonder if rallying on another party's campaign
day is also a violation. But this is none of my business, being
neither an Indonesian, nor an official observer. My lesson from
this small event is that in order to be a neutral, sympathetic
foreign guest during the campaign one should always carry the
three colors -- green, yellow, red -- because one never knows
apparently.

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