Political parties told to quit convoy of vehicles
JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) said yesterday it was holding the three general election contestants' leaders accountable for the illegal, massive street rallies that have congested traffic and caused one fatality.
ABRI spokesman Brig. Gen. Slamet Supriadi said the United Development Party (PPP), Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), should be able to control their supporters.
"The (leaders of the) contestants should persuade their supporters to stop traveling in convoys during this campaign," Supriadi said at a press conference at ABRI headquarters yesterday. "Convoys only hamper city residents' daily activities."
Supriadi also warned against potential clashes between supporters of the three political contestants during motorcades en route to the campaign sites.
PPP started the huge street rallies Tuesday afternoon, causing massive traffic congestion in many towns and cities.
The largest rally took place in East Java where countless party youths formed a convoy along the 25 kilometers from the town of Bangil to Pasuruan, where PPP chief Ismail Hasan Metareum addressed a gathering.
It was in Pasuruan that one PPP supporter was killed and another injured in a road accident during the rally.
Golkar made sounds of protest over the violation of rules by PPP but its own supporters committed the same violation yesterday.
Although smaller in number than the PPP gatherings, street rallies by Golkar supporters also took place yesterday on the streets of the five Jakarta mayoralties.
Supriadi blamed the political contestants for failing to anticipate such large turnouts of supporters, and for selecting inappropriately small campaign sites.
"It is quite regrettable that a certain political party has chosen a small soccer field on which to stage a rally but brought a large number of supporters in a convoy that caused massive traffic congestion," he said.
Supriadi reminded the contestants that, as past experiences had shown, convoys and brutality by supporters would not benefit the parties in question. Instead, he said, they could put the parties' support at risk.
He referred to Monday's incident in Surabaya, East Java. About 5,000 loyalists of ousted PDI chief Megawati Soekarnoputri stormed the arena in Bungkul Park where the government-recognized party faction was holding a public gathering.
Several people sustained injuries from punches and flying rocks during the ensuing scuffle.
Supriadi dismissed speculation that security officers had either been slow to respond to the trouble or had failed to anticipate the clash. He said four people had been detained during the incident.
The general warned Megawati's supporters not to do anything that might disrupt the campaign. "We'll take serious action against any parties trying to disrupt the election campaigning," he said.
Megawati has issued a statement that her camp would not take any part in the campaign.
Despite the incidents that took place during the first three days of the 27-day campaign, Supriadi said that for the most part, "the situation is safe."
PDI leaders in Surabaya had said they were discontinuing their campaign activities in the city, fearing fresh violence from rival supporters.
Supriadi, however, appeased the party leaders. He called on them to continue campaigning and offered even tighter security.
He evaluated that the first day of campaign went quietly, events grew "more enthusiastic" on the second day, while the third day was marked with massive traffic congestion caused by street rallies. (imn)