Negative campaigning designed to undermine political opponents have begun, eight months ahead of the 2009 election, with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) suffering the brunt of the initial attacks.
In the past two weeks, the party has been hit by two high-profile scandals that could limit its chances of winning the election, and prevent party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri from toppling President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the presidential race, experts and legislators say.
Two weeks ago, PDI-P legislators Agus Condro enraged party elites by confessing to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the press that he and other senior PDI-P legislators received Rp 500 million (US$54,348) each, following the election of Miranda Goeltom as Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor by the House of Representatives in 2003.
Several days later, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, chairman of the Golkar Party, made a scathingly described the export contract of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the BP-run Tangguh plant in West Papua to China -- signed during Megawati's term in office in 2002 -- as the worst LNG deal ever signed by the Indonesian government.
Kalla urged the House's energy inquiry team to investigate the contract that he said had cost the country dearly. Many have accused Taufik Kiemas, Megawati's husband, of playing a key role in determining the low price of LNG in the contract.
The PDI-P lashed out against these attacks, threatening to turn the spotlight on issues that could humiliate both Golkar and Kalla, as well as the Democratic Party and Yudhoyono.
"Of course both cases were brought up to target the PDI-P and Megawati ahead of the elections. All surveys list the PDI-P as front-runners, so all parties will capitalize on any issue to take advantage," Paramadina University political expert Bima Arya Sugiarto said Wednesday.
He added although the cases would not affect PDI-P loyalists, including grassroots voters immune to such high-profile scandals, the issues would hamper the party's efforts to expand their middle to high income voter base.
Mohammad Qodari, executive director of research institute Indo Barometer, agreed both cases could hurt the party's image, but only if they were backed by facts and thoroughly investigated by the KPK.
"The Megawati administration, for instance, can't be held responsible for the Tangguh case if it was only a matter of policy judgment without any evidence of misappropriation in setting the price," he said.
Both Bima and Qodari agreed the only way to prove the accusations was to let the KPK investigate them.
"At the end of the day, it is the public who will benefit from more transparent political cases, and in the case of Tangguh, higher LNG prices. I think this way we are on the right track to becoming a more substantive democracy," Qodari said.
Golkar member Harry Azhar Azis said the PDI-P would not be angered by the issues if it had not committed any crimes, adding it should let the investigative process in both cases continue.
PDI-P legislator Ganjar Pranowo, however, said the timing and the manner in which the issues were presented to the public showed they were being used for political gain.
"If the government wants to renegotiate the contract, then do it without having to exaggerate with baseless comments. We made the deal long before global oil prices skyrocketed," he said.
