Wahono calls for fair competition in general election
Wahono calls for fair competition in general election
JAKARTA (JP): House Speaker Wahono closed yesterday the House
of Representatives' penultimate season with a call for fair
competition in the general election.
Wahono said the United Development Party (PPP), Golkar and the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) should be committed to the
people. This would help prevent unfair competition, he said.
The political parties should seek to canvass votes by
presenting programs which are rational and persuasive, and not
rely on campaigns to evoke people's emotions, he said.
"Through a commitment to the people, it is expected that the
election contestants, when they campaign to attract voters'
sympathy, will avoid unfair competition or suspicion of one
another," Wahono said.
The general election this year is strategic because it is
expected to gauge the people's increasingly diverse political
aspirations, which is sometimes marked by sharp criticism of
certain parties, he said.
The election will be held on May 29, five days after the
cooling off week following 27 days of electioneering. The
election campaign will begin on April 27.
The Moslem-based PPP, the dominant Golkar and the Christian-
nationalist alliance PDI will vie for 425 of 500 House seats in
the election.
"Let's cultivate people's trust and show the world our ability
to live as an honorable and cultured nation and state
through this year's election," Wahono said.
He added the House of Representatives was pressured due to the
rapid social changes and "the behavior" of state agencies as well
as tension arising from the relationship between the agencies and
the public.
"(Those experiences) become a historical note of how staunchly
the House has been upholding its constitutional commitment,"
Wahono said.
"The pressure of political upheavals in the face of (national
leadership) succession were all a burden of history (which
testified) how important the position of national leaders in our
order were," he said.
He added the House has always voiced people's aspirations on
the republic and the New Order administration. "(The aspiration)
is a grand correction to bring (the country) on the right track
in accordance with the 1945 Constitution," he said.
A true measure of the House's performance is its consistent
upholding of the constitution, Wahono said.
"The dignity of the House lies in our seriousness in voicing
our constituents' aspirations," he said.
Wahono also said yesterday that during the just ended session,
the House passed 18 bills. It will finish the deliberation of
another eight bills in the next session to begin July 7.
(aan/amd)