Political parties told to quit convoy of vehicles

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)