Political messages on the walls

For Indonesians, especially during the New Order era, the general election was often dubbed a festival of democracy. There was a time when the ruling party handed out political paraphernalia and, sometimes, cash to the people to get their votes.

The country will on April 9 witness another legislative election, the third election after the downfall of the authoritarian ruler Soeharto in 1998.

Flags of political parties are flying high on the rooftops and even on steel towers. Banners with photographs of the legislative candidates and their catch phrases - some of which can provoke much laughter - fill almost all streets with all trying to promote themselves to the electorate.

A wall enclosing an empty field on Jl. TB Simatupang, South Jakarta, though, paints a different picture. A group of art workers have thrown in their two cents' worth about the election through a series of murals and posters to urge the public to be more aware of the power of their voting rights.

One mural demands the candidates not give empty promises while another shows how a young man behaves aggressively if promises are not kept.

"We just want to express our opinions through murals, posters and other art forms. We want to be neutral, not cynical. We just want to describe current phenomena in a casual way," Herwibowo, one of the organizers, said.

- Text and photos by P.J. Leo