PDI-P campaign again to rely on Megawati's fame

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The well-established Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is still relying on the strength of Megawati's name to get as many votes as possible to win the upcoming legislative and presidential elections.

Citing the low level of education and awareness of democracy among most Indonesian people, party figures said exploiting President Megawati Soekarnoputri's name could still guarantee an election victory.

Presenting party vision and mission to The Jakarta Post here on Monday, PDI-P Secretary-General Soetjipto said: "We just need to show her (Megawati) picture, that will be enough and most people are still taken by big names like hers."

Whether we like it or not, he said, most Indonesians still voted for a candidate due to sentimental reasons rather than rational considerations.

The good economic indicators under Megawati's administration were an additional factor that strengthened the people's confidence in Megawati, he added.

"A professor or a man in a kampong, will have the same vote in the elections and campaigning in the campus or on the street is really no different," Soetjipto said.

Megawati, who also chairs PDI-P is the eldest daughter of the country's founding president Sukarno who was respected as a charismatic leader and had loyal supporters during his tenure. She emerged in politics in 1990s when the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), established in 1973, was divided into two camps with the one which was later named PDI-P led by Megawati.

Under the leadership of Megawati, known to be close to the poor and oppressed, PDI-P won 33.8 percent of votes in the 1999 legislative election and Megawati gained the country's second top position in the presidential election. In July, 2001, she was elected president to replace Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.

During her presidency and party leadership, Megawati, fully supported by her party, has made several unpopular policies including on Aceh and gubernatorial elections in Lampung, Jakarta and Central Java, causing divisions in the party.

Megawati for example imposed martial law in war-torn Aceh and has yet to exert maximum efforts to solve conflicts in other regions.

Despite its decreasing popularity, party figures believe that Megawati and her party still have loyalist groups in society.

"There are between around 12 million to 15 million people of our traditional constituencies, and we are working hard to win support from new eligible voters," Deputy Secretary-General Pramono Anung said.

He said PDI-P had listed well-educated legislative candidates to contend the legislative elections on April 5.

"We suffered from internal conflict because of the policy to get more qualified people as most of the party's long-time members are not educated," Pramono added.

Soetjipto said that PDI-P was committed to improving the quality of legislators by nominating candidates with a good educational background in its attempt to improve the quality of the legislatures in the future.

He said PDI-P was still waiting for two more future elections to perform as a modern party and be ready to contend legislative elections under the district system.