PDI-P banking on regents to attract voters

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is counting on its members serving as regents and mayors across the country to help it win the April 5 legislative election.

Since the implementation of regional autonomy, the party has established itself more at the municipality level across the country than at the provincial level, which is dominated by other political parties.

The PDI-P, the largest party in the country, has won 75 percent of regency elections on Java and Bali islands, and 50 percent on Sumatra and Kalimantan islands over the past several years.

The party's weak point remains the eastern part of Indonesia where the Golkar Party, the former political machine of president Soeharto, maintains its dominance.

"It is true that it is easier to win support in the era of autonomy if you have regents and majors," the party's deputy secretary-general, Agnita Singadikane, said over the weekend.

With most regencies in Java and Bali led by PDI-P members, the party expects to win more than 50 percent of the vote in the legislative election, Agnita said.

In the 1999 elections, Java and Bali accounted for 243 of the 462 seats in the House of Representatives, with these heavily populated islands being home to 55 percent of the 124 million total voters.

In eastern Indonesia, PDI-P failed to make headway, in part due to the influence of then president B.J.Habibie, the first Indonesian president to come from outside Java.

With clear instructions from PDI-P leader and President Megawati Soekarnoputri, the party's regents and mayors have taken great steps to promote the party.

In Cilacap, Central Java, Regent Probo Yulastro issued a letter asking teachers at state schools to take part in the PDI-P campaign on Saturday, where he was scheduled to appear as a campaigner.

In the letter, the regent also reminded the teachers to continue selling books covered with the party's symbol as part of the campaign efforts.

In Yogyakarta, Bantul Regent Idam Samawi, a member of the PDI- P, ordered his administration to purchase farmers' crops above market prices over the past few weeks, in a move some critics say is an attempt to buy their votes.

"We expect PDI-P regents and mayors to bring us at least 50 percent of the votes in their respective areas, except in Java and Bali, where we expect at least 75 percent," party deputy secretary-general Pramono Anung said over the weekend.

He underlined that there were no specific instructions from Megawati, but it was the responsibility of party members to bring in votes for the PDI-P.

"But we always encourage them to win fairly and not to engage in the practices of the old regime, which abused its authority to attract voters," Agnita said.

PDI-P REGIONAL HEADS ---------------------------------------------------------------- PROVINCE TOTAL REGENCIES PDI-P LED ---------------------------------------------------------------- West Java 37 18 Central Java 35 28 East Java 38 21 D.I.Y. Yogyakarta 5 4 Bali 9 7 ----------------------------------------------------------------