D

angdut singers and local music groups are still the main crowd pullers for political events during this year'€™s legislative election campaign across the country, with some claiming to be overwhelmed by bookings.

Diana Sastra, a popular singer of dangdut (a local music genre combining Indian, Malay and Arab music styles) in Java'€™s northern coast region, said her income had swelled during the legislative election campaign period as she was able to charge a premium for her services at this time, raising her fees by 50 percent.

'€œI charge Rp 20 million [US$1,757.34] per show,'€ she said in Semarang, Central Java, recently. According to her, dangdut artists are hired by political parties to boost crowd numbers. With currently popular songs like '€œBuka Sitik Joss'€ (Flash It) and their energetic dance moves, dangdut singers are guaranteed to be a hit with the public.

'€œPolitical parties don'€™t always look for well-known artists to perform. They'€™re even ready to use local singers, as long as the vocalists are capable of entertaining the audiences,'€ Diana added.

Nirmala Sari, another dangdut performer, also claimed to be fully booked with political parties. '€œThe rates vary, depending on local circumstances including distance to venues,'€ she said.

Nirmala added, however, that dangdut music was not the only draw for campaign supporters. Campursari, a blend of gamelan and modern instruments, is also a popular attraction. '€œThe important thing is to liven up the campaigning atmosphere,'€ she said.

The clothes worn and songs performed are adjusted according to the relevant parties and supporters. If the parties are Islamic-based, the singers render kasidah (poetic religious songs) rather than dangdut, and their outfits are much more modest.

Along with dangdut singers, advertising agencies are also in great demand at this time. Chairman of the Indonesian Advertising Companies Association (PPPI) in Central Java, Bandaka Lukito, said his members were reaping handsome profits in the election campaign with many legislative hopefuls at all levels promoting themselves through
advertising.

'€œOur revenue has increased between 25 and 30 percent since early March,'€ he noted. Legislative aspirants, according to him, choose different advertising rates with a variety of packages available to suit the constituencies of the relevant candidates. '€œCandidates at the city level pick packages worth from Rp 100 million to Rp 200 million,'€ he said. For those from provincial to central government levels the packages range from Rp 500 million to Rp 1 billion.

According to Bandaka, with packages already paid for in advance, advertising agencies will normally erect billboards, pennants, banners and flags on main roads as well as putting advertisements in the local media.

Legislative candidates with limited funds are generally unwilling to opt for media ads or commercials so they generally pay less than Rp 100 million.

'€œCentral Java PPPI'€™s 35 members have agreed to serve their customers without violating electoral rules, including the prohibition on putting up pictures on trees, which is usually done by campaign teams of the relevant legislative candidates,'€ he added.