Presidential candidates go cyber to attract voters

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta

Over 10 million computer users represents quite a big market for the candidates contesting the presidential election on July 5.

Previous elections saw campaigners banking on traditional methods, including rallies and media advertisements.

Golkar Party presidential candidate Wiranto and his United Development Party (PPP) rival Hamzah Haz were the first candidates to launch websites -- a full year before they were officially declared eligible to run.

To find Wiranto's manifesto, click onto www.wiranto.com, and visit www.hamzah-haz.com for information on the PPP leader.

Amien Rais, another presidential candidate, set up his website, www.m-amienrais.com, in a bid to attract young, middle- class and educated voters.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati Soekarnoputri only launched their websites recently.

Susilo's media center administers the www.sby-oke.com homepage. Megawati's website www.megahasyim.com is run by her newly-established campaign team, the Mega Center.

All the websites are well-maintained, and provide information on the candidates' resumes, professional backgrounds, visions, missions, manifestos and daily activities during the campaign, including their campaign schedules.

They also provide news, either written by their respective campaign teams, or taken from local or foreign media.

Megawati's website administrator, indo.com, also provides lucky draws for internet users.

Apart from the official websites, young Internet users can gain alternative access to their favorite candidates via www.friendster.com.

Friendster is an online community that connects people through networks of friends, which is well-known among teenagers and those in 20s.

Each user is required to fill in a profile about himself or herself, which is then accessed by his or her friends or friends of their friends. A user usually writes about his friends in the testimonial section.

One can only enter friendster if invited by friends.

Susilo is registered with the network. His page displays pictures from his biography, SBY: The Democrat.

He writes in his page that he will do his best as president if elected. More than 150 users have made entries in the testimonial section, mostly talking about their admiration for the former Army general.

There are also pages for Amien, Megawati, Hamzah and Kalla.

A friendster addict, Edo, believes the candidates and their campaign teams never intended to join friendster.

"It must have been someone doing it for fun. I don't think the candidates would be familiar with friendster as they are too old," he said.

A media officer with Kalla confirmed he new nothing about the vice presidential candidate's appearance on friendster.