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Aceh local parties hopeful to beat national parties locally
A different kind of warfare: Supporters of the Aceh Party, a local party established by former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) combatants, hold a street rally during the party’s campaign activity in Banda Aceh recently
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A different kind of warfare: Supporters of the Aceh Party, a local party established by former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) combatants, hold a street rally during the party’s campaign activity in Banda Aceh recently. JP/Hotli Simanjuntak
Aceh’s local parties are showing a definite edge in the competition with major national parties for legislative council seats, but are still jockeying to align themselves with their competitors to obtain a presence in the House of Representatives.
Secretary General of the United Development Party (PPP), Irgan Chairul Mahfidz, acknowledged Wednesday that his party would have difficulties in getting votes for local legislative councils as the province has its own local parties, but was confident of getting votes from Aceh for the House of Representatives in Jakarta.
“We realize, it may be difficult for us to get a lot of votes for the councils in regencies or at provincial level,” Irgan told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Aceh voters will be marking four different ballots in the April 9 elections. Local party candidates will be listed along with their competitors from the national parties on the provincial and regency ballots, but not on the DPR legislative ballots.
But at national level, local parties depend on major parties like PPP, Golkar, the Democrat Party, and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
Irgan said that Aceh had supported his party since 1977 and it usually won every general election there.
He believes his party will gain enough to take some local seats, but is focusing on the national seats.
The Democrat Party also expressed a high confidence level about getting votes in Aceh.
“We are targeting 20 percent of all votes from Aceh,” a member of the Democrat Party, Syarief Hasan, told The Jakarta Post.
Syarief Hasan, currently a member of the House of Representatives, said that the party had conducted a survey in the province and results indicated they would do well.
The Democrat party is also reportedly counting on local backing for Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as president in the July .
They have approached the former spokesperson of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Sofyan Dawood to lead the party’s success team for Aceh, North Sumatera, West Sumatera, and Riau.
Sofyan Dawood acknowledged that he had been offered to be the success team leader for SBY to win as president.
“Actually I haven’t received assignment papers yet, but yes, I support SBY as the president,” Sofyan, who is a member of Aceh Party, said.
He said that even though he supported SBY this did not mean his party would vote for the Democratic Party for the legislative elections.
“We are supporting certain legislative candidates, not the parties,” he said.
The Secretary General of Aceh People Party (PRA), Thamrin Ananda, acknowledged that local parties needed the national parties for leverage at the national level.
“We know that it is impossible for us to present our needs in the House of Representatives without the support of the national parties,” Thamrin said.
According to him, PRA still has to wait for the legislative election results before deciding whether it will form a coalition with any of the national parties.
He predicted that three national parties would have success netting votes in Aceh. These parties would be the Golkar Party, the Democrat Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). (naf)
