Rule violations abound in campaign's first 9 days

Tue, 06 May 1997, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

JAKARTA (JP): The government and the three parties agreed
yesterday there had been an abundance of rule infringements in
the first third of the 27-day election campaign.

"Improve your campaigning and stop the violations," Yogie
S.M., the General Elections Institute chairman, told the leaders
of the United Development Party (PPP), Golkar and the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI).

"We are now in the third round of the election campaign. There
should not be any more problems in the remaining rounds of
campaigning," he told reporters afterward.

Also yesterday, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung said
there had to be no more street rallies or vehicle convoys for the
rest of the campaign.

"All procedures have been clearly spelled out. Street rallies
and motorcades are prohibited," he said, without elaborating what
action the authorities might take to prevent motorcades.

And Election Supervision Committee Chairman Singgih said that
all three contestants had violated campaign rules in the first
week of campaigning.

He categorized the infringements as administrative, political
and criminal in nature. He also said there were 14 campaign
participants currently being questioned for criminal offenses,
including those involved in the attack on two PPP offices in
Yogyakarta last Wednesday.

"The infringements I mentioned excluded traffic violations,
which have also been very numerous," he said.

He refused to mention which contestant committed the most
violations but conceded that some had been committed by people
who were not affiliated to any of the political parties.

PPP deputy chairman Jusuf Syakir and Golkar secretary-general
Ary Mardjono agreed.

"Our party's flags were removed, our supporters were pelted
with stones (by unidentified people) seeking to provoke our
supporters to fight back and violate rules," Jusuf said.

Ary cited attacks on houses and properties belonging to Golkar
members, removal of the grouping's flags as well as physical
threats against its members.

However, he conceded that there were Golkar members who were
involved in banned street rallies.

As for the Golkar supporters' attack on two PPP offices in
Yogyakarta, Ary said the public should wait for the results of
the police investigation.

Sajid Soetjoro, a PDI deputy chairman, complained about local
administrators' unfair treatment toward the party. He cited the
North Barito regent in Central Kalimantan who ordered PDI flags
and banners to be removed from his area.

Speaking in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, PDI chief Soerjadi
called on the government to relax the campaign rules.

"I wonder if the government has the wisdom and is willing to
learn from (the past campaign days) and avoid rigid rules," he
said.

He said the government's ban on street rallies had taken the
sparkle out of the campaign.

"The general election is dubbed a fiesta of democracy, but
this year it is anything but because the government has imposed
too many restrictions," he complained.

Soerjadi suggested that the government ban street rallies only
on pivotal main roads, but let supporters of each poll contestant
to parade around kampongs.

"Street rallies stimulate social contact between a political
organization and its grassroots supporters," he said.

He also criticized the police for preventing the PDI's South
Jakarta branch from distributing plastic bags bearing the party's
bull's head symbol to shoppers Thursday. He said the program had
been impromptu.

"I don't know the reasons for banning the glad-handing which
would have had a minimal possibility of inciting conflict," he
said. (imn/amd)