PDI-P presidential campaign team faces tough questions in Jakarta

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta

Wednesday saw a rare, lively dialog during a campaign event held by presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri's team from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Although attendees were only from parties and organizations that clearly supported the Megawati-Hasyim Muzadi ticket, the event in Senen, Central Jakarta, was not the usual monolog-and- applause fare.

Campaigners fielded tough questions, such as a demand for an explanation of the drastic drop in the party's vote in April's legislative election and the usefulness of inviting only organizations that had already expressed support for the above candidates.

On the drop in PDI-P support, party executive Sabam Sirait repeated the line of party officials that Governor Sutiyoso was to blame for his frequent eviction of squatters and vendors prior to the election. (They are the "little people" who are believed to have contributed to the PDI-P's victory in the 1999 polls.) The party won 30 seats on Jakarta City Council in 1999 but only 11 in April.

Sutiyoso was nominated by the PDI-P in the most recent gubernatorial election in the city.

However, a participant, mentioning the air-conditioned venue, said a better explanation for the decline in party support would be the gap between the party and the grass roots.

"This place (at Graha Atrium) ... is not accessible to the grass roots, who are the major supporters of the PDI-P," Dadang Nurhadi said.

Yusuf Helmi, of Menteng, Central Jakarta, also criticized organizers for inviting only members of the PDI-P, Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which Hasyim leads.

The party should pay more attention to swing voters, he said.

Effendi, another attendee, questioned the President's commitment to the city's poor.