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