Political parties agree to support cultural-based campaign

Dicky Christanto ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Fri, 03/28/2008 11:26 AM  |  Bali

Political party officials in Bali agreed on Wednesday to reduce the number of their outdoor campaigns involving a large number of grassroots supporters in the upcoming Bali gubernatorial election.

They said the agreement aimed to minimize a possible clash among supporters, and was in line with the Bali's General Election Commission (KPUD)'s effort to implement cultural-based campaigns.

Head of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) election's victory team Ketut Ngastawa said he would tell the party's supporters to refrain from organizing or attending a large-scale outdoor campaign.

Ketut said, "for instance, we will only allow party officials to accompany our candidates during the KPUD's official registration process, which will be held in the immediate future."

The move, he said, would also minimize problems.

"If a large number of supporters escort the candidates in the registration process then it will cause traffic congestion that will frustrate many people and might impact on our party's image," he said.

With the current head of the National Anti-Narcotics Body (BNN) Comr. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika and Denpasar Mayor I Gede Ngurah Puspayoga as their governor and vice governor candidates, many believe the PDI-P could win the upcoming election.

Pastika, known for his work in the arrest of the 2002 Bali bombers, is said to attract voters seeking tighter security, in order to protect the resort island' tourism industry.

He said the PDI-P would also stay away from any provocative campaign materials that might destabilize the security and political situation ahead of the election.

A special team was tasked to scrutinize the speech materials of the party's campaigners.

"Its not similar to the kind of censorship imposed by the New Order regime in the past. We would only remind our campaigners of the need to present the important issues in a sympathetic, enlightening manner instead of in a provocative way," he said.

According to Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto, as many as 349 direct elections on a regency, mayoralty and provincial level have been conducted throughout the country since 2005, with 179 of them had to be settled in courts.

Many political analysts had said provocative campaign methods and speeches and large scale outdoor campaigns were the primary triggers behind election-related violence and disputes.

I Made Suantina of the Golkar party said the party supported the KPUD's cultural campaign program and had even arranged its own cultural-based campaigns.

"We will encourage our campaigners, officials and also candidates to wear traditional attire during the campaigns," he said.

Suantina said political parties who succeeded in making sympathetic campaigning events and materials would earn significant benefits from voters as they might say these political parties had shown early but important signs of ability to govern the province.

When asked about the mushrooming of campaign banners from political parties, including Golkar and PDI-P, across the island even before the start of the campaign period, both Suantina and Ngastawa responded with similar statements.

They both said their party officials would deal with the matter.

"In fact we have coordinated with the local administration to pull out banners that have been erected without following existing regulations," Suantina said.

Golkar, as an initiator of the Bali People Coalition comprising the Indonesian Nationalist Party of Marhaen, the Development Unity Party (PPP), the New Indonesian Alliance Party (PIB) and the Concern for the Nation Functional Party (PKPB), had named Cokorda Budi Suryawan and Brig. Gen. (Ret.) I Nyoman Gde Suweta as their governor and vice governor candidates.

As a two-time former Gianyar regent, Cokorda Budi Suryawan was believed to draw a large number of votes as he was considered an experienced leader.

Lanang Prabawa of KPUD said the KPUD didn't have any objections to the campaign banners as long as they were erected in line with the city regulations on public banners.

"It has been their way of communicating ideas with the people and in fact it is the very idea of the whole direct elections, so why we should ban them from doing that," he said.

Bali Gubernatorial election will take place on July 9.

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