Soeharto tells others to get tough on violence

Soeharto tells others to get tough on violence

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto ordered election organizers
yesterday to reprimand the three parties' leaders for the
increasing campaign violence.

After receiving a report on the campaign by the National
Elections Institute's chairman, Moch. Yogie S.M., and the
Election Supervision Committee's chairman, Singgih, at Merdeka
Palace, President Soeharto said the parties were obliged to
control their supporters.

"Don't continue violating the election rules," Yogie quoted
Soeharto as saying.

Singgih and Yogie had told Soeharto that campaign-related
traffic accidents had claimed 49 lives and injured hundreds in
the first 16 days of the campaign. Most of the accidents occurred
in Central Java.

The parties' leaders had to be responsible for order and
security during rallies, Singgih quoted the President as saying.

Soeharto ordered Singgih and Yogie to enforce the new
regulation which banned banners and pictures portraying an
alliance between Megawati Soekarnoputri, the ousted leader of the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), and the Moslem-based United
Development Party (PPP).

Megawati, who insists that she is still the legitimate PDI
chairwoman despite a government-backed congress that reinstated
Soerjadi at the party's helm, is not allowed to stand for
election.

Banners and yells in support of Megawati have become the
highlights of many PPP rallies across the country after a PPP
official sought Megawati's blessing for her loyalists wishing to
join the PPP.

Banners and other campaign material must be approved by the
police.

"We ask the three contestants' task forces to haul down those
banners and pictures," Singgih said.

Singgih said the authorities would take harsh action against
people displaying banners and posters on the Megawati-PPP
alliance.

Singgih rejected speculation that the government had
introduced the ban for fear of Megawati's popularity.

Despite Soeharto's order, Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical
Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid said police would take a
persuasive, rather than repressive, approach towards people
carrying "Mega-bintang" (Megawati-PPP) banners in the campaign.

"It's about technique. Security officers will persuade people
carrying banners to furl instead of unfurl them," Syarwan said
while inspecting a PDI rally here.

Soerjadi said he understood the President's reprimand. "We
admit that there are many improvements that we have to make. We
deeply regret that many people have died in traffic accidents
during street rallies."

"But generally speaking, despite the trouble, I think the
election campaign has been proceeding well," he said.

Besides, he said, we told the government during deliberations
on the election rules "that banning street rallies was
impossible". (06/05/mds)