The aspirants' balls are rolling

The aspirants' balls are rolling

The Golkar Party's Gen. (ret) Wiranto and the Democratic Party's Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, are among presidential candidates who have been battling smear campaigns during the election campaign.

Wiranto has been dogged by video compact discs of a singing competition that feature footage of the bloody 1998 May riots. He has also been implicated in the 1999 Semanggi and Trisakti tragedies and human rights abuses in East Timor.

Susilo has been defamed by a report his wife, Kristiani Herawati, is a Christian. Rumors also have it that Susilo is against the Islamic syariah law and has received funds from the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee and the Anti-Defamation League. He has also been maligned by rumors he intends to scrap district and subdistrict military commands when he becomes president.

This daily has called on all politicians and members of the political elite, including all presidential and vice presidential candidates, to shun character assassination as it only triggers conflict and even civilian clashes.

All sides involved in the campaign should uphold good moral values and sportsmanship, as shown by the soccer players during the 2004 European Championship. -- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta