Political parties urged to conduct 'smart campaigns'

Political parties urged to conduct 'smart campaigns'

JAKARTA (JP): Rather than simply relying on famous national
political figures, who often are unknown to local constituents,
political parties should pursue "smart campaigns" to introduce
their legislative candidates and party programs, political
analyst Andi A. Mallarangeng said on Thursday.

In a discussion held by the Centre for the Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS) here, Andi said he believed
campaigning in this way could also help curb the violence
predicted by many for the official campaign period from May 14
through June 4.

"It provides alternatives to the classic method of campaigning
that favors street rallies and provokes sectarian sentiments,"
said Andi, who is a lecturer at Ujungpandang-based Hasanuddin
University.

In the same discussion, CSIS deputy director J. Kristiadi
repeated concerns that exploiting sectarian issues, such as
ethnicity and religion, would lead to violence.

"But time is running out for campaigning that explores party
platforms," Kristiadi commented on Andi's evaluation, adding that
many parties still thought it tactically effective to exploit
"traditional" issues.

Kristiadi and Andi were speaking at a special session on the
competitive tactics used by parties to attract supporters, as
part of a one-day seminar on the prospects for the June 7
elections and democratization in Indonesia.

Andi called on political parties -- particularly Golkar -- to
accept the new "political landscape" that followed the passage of
new political laws.

He warned the ruling Golkar Party that the use of ministers
and other state officials in its campaign was an outdated
strategy which to some extent could backfire on the party's
interests.

"Playing with figures at the top level won't be effective at
the local level ... as constituents want candidates they can
shake hands with," he said.

The situation now is that voters are "retrospective", looking
back to parties which they had earlier voted for, Andi said.

"Voters are not stupid," he said. "Clove farmers in South
Sulawesi will not vote for Golkar, as ulema in Java will not vote
for Muslim parties simply because they are the parties'
traditional constituents."

"Farmers will look back to think what caused them to be
miserable," Andi said, urging other parties to see the benefits
of "creative campaigning" rather than simply parading in the
streets.

Local issues

With political parties struggling to tackle "big issues", Andi
said "everyday issues" had been left unexplored.

"This would mean the next government lack's legitimacy,
despite a free and fair poll, as people would still ask 'where's
our rice'."

As legislators elected to the House of Representatives will be
those whose parties won the most votes in the province, political
parties must campaign from now to introduce their local
candidates and their programs for their prospective constituents.

"Create local heroes, do not simply rely on national figures,"
Andi said.

"Campaigning now is a matter of marketing strategy. Parties
must be creative in their campaigning to attract potential
buyers," he said.

Asked by senior political observer Hasnan Habib whether voters
are ready for such "smart campaigns", Andi said: "That's exactly
the old paradigm of thinking, in which people assume voters are
stupid."

Potential voters understand their daily issues in their own
language and they are "retrospective voters", he said. (aan)