Permadi offers to campaign for smallest party

Permadi offers to campaign for smallest party

JAKARTA (JP): Controversial soothsayer Permadi Satrio Wiwoho has declared his support and readiness to become a vote-getter for the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in the 1997 general election.

"I am ready to campaign for PDI," he told The Jakarta Post by telephone yesterday, adding that he was prompted by what he saw as the unfair treatment of PDI by the government.

"PDI has always been subjected to dishonesty at even the earliest stages of general elections," he said.

He pointed out that the ruling Golkar's chairman, Harmoko, has engaged in premature electioneering during his numerous, highly- publicized travels across the country over the past several years.

He also said he was motivated to help PDI because its chairperson, Megawati Soekarnoputri, is the daughter of the first president, Sukarno. "I admire Sukarno very much," he said.

Besides, he said, citing a book by the renowned futurist John Naisbitt called Megatrends, the future could be the chairwoman's time.

"Megatrends could mean that now is the 'trend' for Mega," he joked, referring to the PDI leader by her nickname of Mega.

Permadi is the second high-profile figure to publicly declare allegiance towards a political grouping. Last week, noted playwright Emha Ainun Nadjib declared his support for the Moslem- based United Development Party (PPP).

Emha later explained to Republika that he backed PPP because he saw the party as the weakest of the three political groupings. The Moslem community, including controversial ulema Abdurrahman Wahid, have either helped the ruling Golkar or PDI, he said.

Emha, however, denied he would act as a vote-getter for PPP in the election campaign next year, or that he wanted to become a leading member or legislator of PPP.

"I just want to convince people that PPP is the party that needs help in the 1997 election," Emha said. "I have the obligation to help PPP in getting its voters back."

Yesterday, Permadi acknowledged that, eager as he was to help PDI, Megawati might not be as enthusiastic.

"She might reject my offer because of some political reasons," he said. "Whether I could become a PDI vote-getter or not depends entirely on her."

Permadi recently completed a five-month jail term after he was found guilty of denigrating Islam during a seminar. Yesterday, he said his presence might not be favorable for PDI.

"By including a controversial person like me, the party (runs the risk of inviting) even harsher treatment from the power holders," Permadi said.

He also explained that in past general elections, he never voted for PDI.

"I used to be a Golput," he said, referring to the acronym for Golongan Putih, literally meaning "white group", coined to describe a group of people who, for various reasons, refuse to support or vote for any of the three political contestants.

Those who claim to be a Golput either leave their ballots blank or mark all the three contestants as their choice, thus rendering their votes invalid.

Soesilo Utomo, a political observer at the Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java, said the open declaration of support for political parties by noted figures such as Permadi and Emha is proof of "growing courage of the common people to say the truth".

"It is a sign of courage to stand up to the established force, namely the power holders," he told the Post.

"Both Emha and Permadi are known as critics of the government and as the defenders of the downtrodden, the people who are being marginalized," he said further.

In addition, both figures are "symbols of the critical voice of the common people, the youths, the students and the politicians who have been shoved away from the game," he said, adding that the two will greatly appeal to those groups in the elections. (imn/har)