E

ntering the third week of official campaigning the three presidential candidates have been going the extra mile to win the hearts of grassroots voters, striving to convince them they truly know the plight of the people.

During her visit to Ciamis, West Java,on Friday, for example, Megawati Soekarnoputri and her entourage travelled between campaign stops sitting in the front seats of becak (pedicabs).

Along the way, thousands of locals greeted the presidential hopeful with words of hope and encouragement. A school choir sang the patriotic tune "Halo-Halo Bandung" as Megawati and her entourage passed by.

Megawati then left for Banyumas, Central Java, where thousands of her die-hard supporters awaited her arrival.

Up to 10,000 people greeted Megawati, who was accompanied by Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo and Banyumas legislator Budiman Sudjatmiko. During her visit, Megawati signed a political contract with dozens of representatives from various farmers associations in the region.

Under the contract, Megawati agreed that, if she and her running mate, Prabowo Subianto, were elected in the election on July 8, her administration would ensure adequate provisions of fertilizer and irrigation water were made available for rice paddy fields. Agriculture is one of the Megawati ticket's top development priorities.

"Thus if the *Central Java* governor can guarantee adequate stocks of fertilizer and water for the farmers during his tenure, of course, if I am elected president, I would be able to do the same, but on a nationwide scale," she said as quoted by detik.com on Monday.

Megawati is slated to visit Yogyakarta for her next campaign stop.

While Mega greeted farmers, incumber President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), tried to win over voters in Padang, West Sumatra, by praising the popular local cuisine.

"Ever since I was a second lieutenant, I always liked Padang food," he said to the crowd packed into the Agus Salim sport center in Padang on Monday.

SBY also promised local businesspeople that, if re-elected, he would simplify the procedure for obtaining business licenses.

Before his speech, SBY bought fish from local fishermen as part of a meet and greet with fishing communities along Padang's west coast.

While SBY and Megawati worked hard to convince the grassroots they are worth their salt, presidential hopeful Jusuf Kalla worked a room comprised of an entirely different echelon of society, discussing the importance of a free press with thousands of journalists in Jakarta.

The state secrecy bill, which the House of Representatives is currently deliberating, was the focus of the discussion.

Journalists fear the bill would threaten the country's openness and transparency, as it would make it a crime for the public to know certain matters deemed state secrets.