Political parties race against time for elections

JAKARTA (JP): Political parties are racing to establish chapters and branches in order to qualify to contest the June 7 general election.

The Team of Eleven -- in charge of examining and selecting poll contestants -- continued on Wednesday its visits to the political parties' regional offices.

In East Java, team member Afan Gaffar found three political parties had established chapters outside of the provincial capital of Surabaya. This violates the law on elections which stipulates that parties must have at least nine chapters, all of which must be in provincial capitals.

Afan said in Surabaya the Party for Indonesian People's Struggle established its chapter in Malang, the Golkar Party in Sidoarjo and the Ummat Awakening Party in Jombang.

Separately, Minister of Education and Culture Juwono Sudarsono said political parties may hold election campaigns on campuses as long as they approach the rallies scientifically.

"A campus is also a public facility, so anybody can hold a campaign on a campus," he said here on Wednesday.

However, parties will not be allowed to mobilize the masses on the campuses, he said, adding, "Rectors and students should determine the requirements for holding a campaign on the campus."

The minister suggested rallies which featured discussions and dialogs where parties would be expected to explain their platforms.

However, he added, "Let campus authorities determine the best campaign model for them."

Meanwhile, it was reported from Semarang that the municipal police were currently training a 285-strong civilian militia to help secure the polls.

The civilian militia has been trained by the Diponegoro Military Command for two weeks and will also receive five days of military training from the police.

Central Java Provincial Police chief Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi said that the militia was part of 4,000-strong civilian military to be recruited to help police safeguard the election in the province.

"They will be paid Rp 200,000 a month," he said in Semarang on Wednesday.

The following are some of the activities of the political parties across the country:

* The Justice and Unity Party inaugurated on Wednesday its party chapter in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by chairman Edi Sudradjat.

Deputy chairwoman Meutia Hatta, who accompanied Edi to the ceremony, said the party had no problem with a woman presidential candidate.

"The most important thing is that she has the credibility and capability to lead the nation," said Meutia, a daughter of the country's first vice president, Mohammad Hatta.

* The National Mandate Party, the Republic Party, Golkar and the Indonesian National Party joined a discussion on the possibility of violence before and after the elections.

Political observer Hermawan Sulistyo said during the discussion on Wednesday that the postelection period would be prone to violence because defeated parties might reject the election results.

Theo Sambuaga, Golkar deputy chairman, promised that if Golkar lost, the party would be a good loser.

* Golkar is set to hold a meeting in the North Sumatran provincial capital of Medan this Saturday. Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung is scheduled to attend.

No civil servants will be invited to the meeting, T. Syaifuddin, a member of the meeting's organizing committee, said here on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Herman Ibrahim, chief spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the General Election Committee (LPU) had begun a number of preparations for the elections.

"A renovation project is underway at the LPU building before the committee starts work on March 1," he said here on Wednesday.

He said LPU was also printing electoral registration forms which would be needed once voter registration begins in early April.

He said a small company appointed by LPU secretary-general Feisal Tamin was handling the renovation project, and the registration forms were being printed by state-owned PT Percetakan Negara. (rms/01/21)