PPP attacks new rule on electioneering
PPP attacks new rule on electioneering
JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party attacked yesterday
the new electioneering rule which requires campaigners have their
scripts checked by the government before starting debates live on
TV or radio.
Yusuf Syakir said the rule issued last month deviated from a
consensus reached by the three contestants and the government not
to censor campaign materials.
"How could a political campaign dialog use a script?" asked
Yusuf, the party's deputy chairman. "If we use scripts it will be
like a TV soap opera," he said in a discussion on a new book
Dinamika Politik Indonesia (Indonesian Political Dynamics).
In the regulation, the contestants are given air time on the
state-owned television TVRI to campaign by way of speeches and
discussions between party members and the general public. In the
past, electioneering was dominated by street rallies.
The regulation now gives them 9 TV slots each during the
campaign season which will run from April 29 to May 23. Each slot
is 30 minutes and will be aired by TVRI nationwide after the 7
p.m. news.
Indonesia's five private TV stations are required to allocate
time for the political campaigns. Campaigners are required to
submit a script of their discussion.
"Although the new regulation is progress, it is different from
the initial agreement which guaranteed contestants were free to
decide how to use their time," Yusuf said.
But Yusuf's skepticism was not shared by an official from the
winner of the past six elections, Golkar.
"I think the regulation does not mean there will be some kind
of censorship. It's only a technicality to make sure that
campaigners will not breach electioneering ethics," said Golkar
member Burhan Magenda.
"I think the regulation is only meant to avoid name-calling or
condemnations, which are not permitted, " explained Burhan, also
a political scholar of the University of Indonesia.
The three political organizations, the PPP, Golkar and the
Indonesian Democratic Party will contest 425 seats in the 500-
seat House of Representatives in the May 29 general election. The
75 seats are reserved by the Armed Forces.
The new regulation divides the country into six campaign
regions. Contestants cannot campaign in the same region on the
same. They will be allowed to campaign only in two designated
regions in each day.
Region I includes provinces in Sumatra; region II provinces in
Java; region III provinces of Bali, West and East Nusa Tenggara
and East Timor; region IV provinces in Kalimantan; region V
provinces in Sulawesi and region VI provinces of Irian Jaya and
Maluku. (36)