Students rally against PDI-P sales

Students rally against PDI-P sales

CILACAP, Central Java: Hundreds of students staged a rally
here on Friday to protest an incident involving local bureaucrats
and the leader of the local chapter of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

The incident centers on the sales of books and T-shirts
bearing the red logo of the party, of which President Megawati
Soekarnoputri is chairwoman. The sales campaign was apparently
approved by the local administration.

Civil servants and students complained that they had been
forced to buy the books and the T-shirts.

The protesters on Friday slammed the Cilacap General Elections
Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) and the local General Elections
Commission (KPU) for lacking the nerve to take action against the
unethical sales.

The Panwaslu promised last week to summon Cilacap Regent Probo
Yulastoro and local PDI Perjuangan leaders for questioning about
the forced sales, but it failed to make good on the promise, the
demonstrators said.

PDI Perjuangan has dismissed Probo as the party's local
election campaign leader because of the disgraceful sales. -- JP