Political parties ready for indoor campaigning
JAKARTA (JP): Politicians from the three political parties -- the United Development Party (PPP), Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) -- have agreed to concentrate on indoor campaigning in the run-up to next year's general election.
The PDI and PPP said yesterday that indoor campaigns can be more effective ways of conveying their messages to the public than mass street rallies.
Senior PDI legislator Aberson Marle Sihaloho, PDI secretary- general Buttu R. Hutapea and PPP chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum all support the idea recently proposed by President Soeharto.
"I totally agree with it," Aberson told The Jakarta Post. He added that out-door campaigns cannot be used to convey the party's messages effectively.
"During past general elections, political parties failed to introduce their programs to the people because there was no two- way communication between the party's vote-getters and their supporting masses during the campaigns," he said.
Last week President Soeharto called for new regulations on election campaigning in order to prevent a repetition of the chaos and violence of past elections. He suggested that campaigns should no longer be turned into shows of force by the political organizations contesting the elections.
The President asked the National Council for Defense and Security to draw up new regulations for the 1997 general election. The council, made up of retired military officers, advises the President on state matters.
The Indonesian Institute of Sciences has announced that it will conduct strategic social, political and cultural studies on the political campaigns during next year's general election.
Aberson, however, said that all parties should have equal access to television when the indoor campaigning begins next year.
"Part of the general election fund should be used to finance televised debates," he said.
Separately, Buttu told the Post mass gatherings were no longer appropriate in election campaigns.
"The people are already aware of each party's performance. They already know which political party represents their political aspirations," he said.
Ismail said recently that the party had no objections to the proposed indoor campaign, but suggested that the mass gatherings during the campaign session should not be totally neglected.
"We agree that the election campaigns should not be turned into shows of force by the political organizations contesting the elections. But there should be a meeting between the party's vote-getters and their supporters," Ismail said.
Golkar chairman Harmoko said recently that his organization also supported the President's call to concentrate on indoor campaigning. He said that mass rallies often resulted in undesirable violent clashes between supporters of rival parties. (imn)