Poll commission completes drawing up campaign rules
Poll commission completes drawing up campaign rules
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The General Elections Commission (KPU) finalized on Wednesday a
new regulation on media campaigns ahead of the runoff, which
allocates 35 minutes of airtime a day for each candidate during
the three-day campaign period.
The regulation was the result of protracted negotiations with
the campaign teams of the two candidates. It will be incorporated
into the commission's Ruling No. 35/2003 on the presidential
election campaign.
According to the regulation, during the campaign period each
candidate will be granted 20 minutes daily to run advertisements
on private television stations, regardless of the frequency of
the ads.
The campaign team of Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running
mate Hasyim Muzadi had earlier proposed that the ads be aired no
more than five times per day and last for no more than 60 seconds
each. The Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Jusuf Kalla pairing demanded
that the KPU allow campaign ads to be 90-seconds long and
broadcast 10 times a day.
"We don't want to set a limit on what candidates have to say
about their platforms. So, they can use the 20-minute period as
they wish. Conceivably, the candidates could divide it into as
many spots as possible," KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti said
here.
He said, while the candidates would be responsible for
financing their own ads, the KPU would also provide them with
some free airtime.
Under the new regulation, the two candidates would be given up
to 15 minutes of free airtime to deliver their speeches on state-
run and private radio and television stations between 6 a.m. and
6 p.m..
"We have called on all radio and television stations to
broadcast their recorded speeches, as they will be considered
public service announcements," Ramlan said.
In a country where reading is not the primary means of getting
information, television is considered the most effective way to
reach the bulk of voters.
Given the paramount role of the media, independent media
watchdogs earlier called on the KPU to draw up a clear-cut
regulation that would sanction campaigning in the media ahead of
the runoff.
As for print media campaigns, the new regulation stipulates
that candidates are allowed no more than half a page per day.
"The ads will not be printed side by side, as previously
proposed," Ramlan said.
The KPU had intended that, for the sake of equality, the
candidates' ads and announcements would be run on the same page,
or one after the other.
During the campaign, however, the public will not have the
chance to see the Megawati-Hasyim and Susilo-Kalla tickets engage
in a direct debate. Instead, the KPU will host a dialog in which
-- one at a time -- the two candidates will face a board of
panelists.
"We established early on that there would be no presidential
debates during the three-day campaign period. It has been crystal
clear. The only thing that is not certain is whether the campaign
teams will accept the panelists," Ramlan said.