Soeharto urges new poll campaign rules to prevent violence

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto called for new regulations on election campaigns yesterday to prevent a repetition of the disorderliness and violence that marked past elections.

Soeharto asked the National Council for Defense and Security to draw up the regulations in time for the 1997 general election, scheduled for the end of May.

The council's chairman Lt. Gen. (ret.) Soekarto told reporters after meeting with the head of state at the Bina Graha presidential office yesterday that the idea was discussed extensively.

The council, comprising retired military officers, advises the President on various state matters. One of its major jobs in the past was helping the President draft the five-yearly Guidelines of State Policy.

The President stressed that election campaigns should no longer be turned into shows of force by the political organizations contesting the elections, Soekarto said.

They should rather be aimed at attracting the sympathy of voters by contestants stressing their respective programs, he said.

Soeharto was concerned that mass rallies could easily get out of control and result in fatalities. That, he said, would attract nobody's sympathy.

The election next year will be the sixth under President Soeharto. The ruling political group Golkar, which has won all five previous elections with landslide margins, is pitting itself against the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party.

At stake are 425 of the 500 seats of the House of Representatives. The other 75 seats are reserved for appointees of the Armed Forces.

Golkar leaders are scheduled to meet next month to set their target for next year's polls.

Calls to regulate election campaigns were first voiced by Golkar at its leadership meeting in October last year. So far however, there have been no serious attempts at drafting any rules.

Golkar officials have suggested that outdoor rallies be banned because they could lead to trouble. They suggested that these should be replaced by indoor gatherings and televised discussions among the candidates running for the House of Representative seats.

Soekarto said that in drawing up the regulations, the council would consult the three political organizations and ensure consensus so that the campaigning will proceed in a peaceful and orderly fashion.

He denied the suggestion that the regulations would restrict the scope of the campaigning.

Outdoor campaigns could still be held, but "we have to make sure that the convoy of participants proceed to the venue in an orderly manner and that their security is guaranteed," he said.

The council is to begin work immediately given the short time it has before the election campaign begins, he said.

The current electoral law restricts campaigning to a 25-day period. Next year, it is slated for April 29 to May 23. A cooling off period of seven days normally follows before polling day.

Soekarto said the council has also begun gathering information and material for the Guidelines of State Policy for 1998-2003.

The council is seeking the views of public figures, intellectuals, politicians and others for the drafting, he said.

President Soeharto said that in order to avoid the impression that the guidelines had come solely from him, the draft would be circulated widely for discussion and debate before it is brought to the People's Consultative Assembly for endorsement.

The guidelines should reflect the views and aspirations of all layers of society, Soekarto quoted the President as saying. (imn/emb)