PPP adds pressure for 'silent week' abolition
PPP adds pressure for 'silent week' abolition
JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) yesterday
joined the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in calling for the
abolition of the so-called "silent week" before polling day.
The week is meant as days when people cool the political
temperature after a full month of tense, and often violent,
campaigns by the political parties contesting the election.
PPP chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum said past elections showed
that the silent week was useless because some activists used the
time to pressurize people into voting for their organization.
"In principle, cooling-off week is a good idea, but if the
government cannot secure its implementation as originally
intended, the policy should be dropped," he was quoted by Antara
as saying.
The abolition of the policy was proposed on Wednesday by the
chief of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Megawati
Soekarnoputri for reasons similar to those cited by Ismail Hasan.
In Yogyakarta, noted political scholar Riswandha Imawan
predicted yesterday that the raging internal bickering is likely
to keep the minority PDI in a no-win position in the 1997 general
election.
Besides, the PDI has to fight for segments of voters that are
also being targeted by the ruling political organization, Golkar,
Riswandha told reporters.
The uneasy nationalist-Christian alliance is bracing itself
for next year's election with no solution in sight to its
notorious long-standing leadership rift.
The chairmanship conflict that besets its East Java chapter,
for instance, has been aggravated by intervention of the local
government, which has threatened to exclude the PDI from the 1997
electoral committee unless the conflict ends by the end of this
month.
The local government, which supports Golkar, has repeatedly
denied meddling in the East Java chapter. It rejects the PDI's
central board appointment of Sutjipto as the East Java party
branch chairman.
Golkar's determination to tighten its domination by increasing
its seats in the House of Representatives from the present 282 to
299 will also bring serious consequences to the PDI performance,
Riswandha noted.
The PDI currently has 56 seats and the Moslem-based United
Development Party (PPP) 62 seats in the 500-seat House. The
remaining 100 seats are reserved for the Armed Forces (ABRI).
"To materialize its ambition, Golkar will do everything
possible to lure voters who traditionally belong to the PDI's
turf," said the lecturer of political science at the Gadjah Mada
University.
The PDI, the most outspoken party which celebrated its 23rd
anniversary on Wednesday, targets younger voters and always
claims to be "the party of the common people."
Golkar finds its strongest support from the four million
strong civil servants and their families. While the PPP finds its
traditional voters among devout Moslems.
"The PDI and Golkar will have to fight for voters of less-
devout Moslems (abangan) and aristocratic circles (priyayi),
"Riswandha said.
"This battle will be easier for Golkar to win than if it
insists on wooing PPP's devout Moslems," he added.
The PDI's inability to develop significantly has made it
difficult to attract more voters because it offers limited
political positions. (har/pan)