Political parties ready for indoor campaigning

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)