PDI Perjuangan paints Medan red

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Thousands of red-clad supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) rode on hundreds of trucks, buses, motorcycles and other vehicles in a convoy along streets here on Monday, causing massive traffic jams across the city.

In the downtown area, traffic stopped completely as supporters flooded the areas. Jl. Raden Saleh, Jl. Sutomo, Jl. H.M. Yamin, Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Iskandar Muda and Jl. Jamin Ginting were among streets packed by supporters, some of them bringing along their children.

Elsewhere in Medan, two smaller parties -- the Independence Vanguards Party (IPKI) and the Indonesian Muslim Party (PUMI) -- held a discussion on the political participation of Chinese- Indonesians in the province. Anti-discrimination activist from LARAS (Anti-Racism Foundation) Kamaluddin Lubis criticized the two parties as lacking solid concepts on ethnic assimilation in the region.

He referred to a politician's criticisms of Chinese- Indonesians who went abroad for the campaigning period as lacking in nationalism, while another politician categorized them as "banking criminals".

Pangihutan Nasution of PUI, however, said his party would fight for better assimilation of the ethnic group here, while Safri Chan of the local IPKI chapter promised to fight for equality between different ethnic groups including Chinese- Indonesians.