People must feel free to vote in elections: Tutut

People must feel free to vote in elections: Tutut

JAKARTA (JP): Golkar leader Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana said
yesterday people should feel free to vote for any of the three
political parties in next month's general election.

"I'm not going to influence you to vote for Golkar. The
decision will remain entirely yours," Hardiyanti said.

The Golkar deputy chairwoman was speaking at a gathering of
the women's wing of Indonesia's largest Moslem organization
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in Pondok Cabe subdistrict, Tangerang.

"All of the political contestants -- the United Development
Party (PPP), Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) are
good," she said while officiating the wing's new training center
she helped finance.

Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher and NU chairman
Abdurrahman Wahid, reportedly Hardiyanti's new political ally,
were among those present at the gathering.

"You should not feel any fear in making your own choice," she
said. But she added, participation in both the election campaign
and polling should not be violent.

"Don't scratch each other's faces. We have to remember always
that we are all one," she said.

Calls for a peaceful election campaign have been made by
various parties. The clashes and violence that marred previous
elections have spurred the government to ban street rallies
during this year's election campaign.

The government-recognized PDI central board yesterday
predicted disturbances provoked by supporters of the party's
ousted leader Megawati Soekarnoputri during the election
campaign.

PDI's deputy secretary-general Romulus Sihombing said "there
are a few people who will try to disturb public gatherings held
by the PDI".

Demonstration

Romulus was referring to the demonstration of some 5,000
supporters of Megawati at the House of Representatives last week.

"Experience has taught us that election campaigns are prone to
disturbances, particularly on Java Island. But to some extent
this year will be different," he said.

He said that internal rifts had frequently marred the party
since its establishment in 1973, but opposing factions usually
regrouped for the election campaign.

"In the past, one of the disputing factions would usually be
willing to step aside for the sake of the party's unity. This
time one of us is being very stubborn," he said, referring to
Megawati's faction.

Nationwide campaigning will kick off Sunday and will run until
May 23. The government only allows assemblies, the broadcast of
public debates and the distribution of leaflets during the 27-day
campaign period.

Romulus said Megawati's supporters "are relatively small in
size and will not influence the PDI's vote earning".

"In some provinces we will suffer a slight decline or at least
maintain our performance in the previous election, but we will
make up for the decrease in other provinces," he said.

The PDI took 16 percent of more than 107 million votes in the
1992 election and gained 56 seats in DPR.

Soerjadi was reelected the party chairman following a
controversial congress supported by the government in Medan,
North Sumatra last year. The congress dethroned then incumbent
Megawati.

The conflict peaked in the violent takeover of the party's
headquarters from Megawati on July 27 last year, igniting riots
which left five people dead, 149 injured and 23 missing.

But Romulus believed security authorities would manage to
guard the election campaign. (imn/amd)