INDONESIA ENDS CAMPAIGN PERIOD TO VOTES ON THURSDAY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 5 (ANTARA) - Kicked off last March 16, the 21-day outdoor campaign for the April 9, 2009 legislative elections ended on Sunday with some 171 million eligible voters expected to cast their votes for the 38 political parties vying for 560 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR).

        Amid chaotic preparations and fear for election disruptions due to unresolved voters' lists and delayed or damaged ballots, the voters will also vote for 132 seats in the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

        Besides the 38 political parties contesting for 560 seats in the DPR, 1,998 seats in the Provincial Legislative Assemblies and 15,750 seats in District/Municipal Legislative Councils, there are also six local parties in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam vying for the local legislative assembly seats.

        On the campaign closing day on Sunday, two major parties, the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDIP), focused their attention on West Java province and Bali.

        Golkar, the political machine of the New Order and winner of the 2004 legislative election with 128 seats in the DPR, fielded its leading cadres in West Java as well as Bali, which is known to be the hub of PDIP supporters.

        An estimate of 50,000 supporters flocked to Bali's Chandra Buana Amlapura square, Karangasem district, to listen to the orations of Golkar campaigners. Here, Golkar fielded its secretary general, Sumarsono, and a member of its board of patrons, Aburizal Bakrie.

        "Golkar supporters from eight districts in Bali flocked to the square which is located some 80 km east of Denpasar," said I Wayan Suparta, Golkar Spokesman for Bali regional branch.

        In West Java, Golkar fielded its general chairman Jusuf Kalla who is also the incumbent vice president and other cadres such as Agung Laksono, the incumbent House Speaker who is also Golkar deputy general chairman, Akbar Tanjung (former Golkar chairman) and Surya Paloh.

        More than ten thousand supporters packed the Majasetra square in West Java's Majalaya subdisrict, Bandung regency, to listen to Golkar's cadres' orations. Golkar Chairman Jusuf Kalla campaigned in West Java district of Bogor after attending a rally in Padang, West Sumatra.

        After giving orations at Padang's Imam Bonjol square, the Golkar chairman flew back to hold a campaign in Bekasi, a West Java town on the outskirts of Jakarta, and proceeded to Sempur square in Bogor, also a satellite town of Jakarta.

        In the meantime, PDIP, which was the second winner in the 2004 legislative elections and won 109 seats in DPR, fielded its general chairperson former president Megawati Soekarnoputri in Bali province.

        Thousands of PDIP supporters thronged Krisna Javara Sports Stadium in Jembrana district, in the western tip of Bali, to listen to speeches made by Megawati who is also a daughter of the country's founding father, first president Soekarno.

        During the rally, Megawati called on her supporters not to abstain from the polls. "Taking part in the polls will strengthen our position in the legislative body. If many of our legislative candidates win seats in the DPR, it would boost my chance in the presidential race," she said.

        She said that PDIP lost many votes in 2004 due to election frauds. So, democracy should be upheld. "There is an attempt to disrupt democracy in order to seize and maintain power and to return to the old sytem," the PDIP chairperson alleged.

        In order to prevent clashes between supporters of PDIP and those of Golkar which also held a campaign on in the country's popular tourist resort province, Bali police mobilized all of its personnel to maintain peace.

        Meanwhile, incumbent president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is also advisory council chairman of the Democrats Party (PD) toured East and Central Java provinces for his party's final round of campaign.

        Unlike in its previous day campaigns, the Democrats Party, which came up as the fourth winner in the 2004 legislative election with 57 seats in DPR, organized its final campaign indoors in East Java.

        The PD organized what it called 'Democrats Town Hall Meeting' as its final round of campaign in Magelang district. In his address in the meeting, Yudhoyono said his government had over the past four years made positive progresses, despite some shortcomings that still had to be improved.

        He said at the beginning of his government in 2004, he promised to work hard to overcome the problems faced by the nation at that time. During his government in the past four years Indonesia had recorded positive achievements such as political stability, law enforcement, democracy, economy, people's welfare and good image overseas.

        When he spoke to his supporters at Simpang Lima square in Semarang, Central Java, Yudhoyono called on all political parties to make the legislative elections a success. "I call on electoral contestants to make the election a success. Although we are competing with each other we should continue to build harmony," he said.

        The third largest party, the United Development Party (PPP) which won 58 seats in the DPR in the 2004 legislative election meanwhile conducted its final outdoor campaign at Ngabul square, Jepara district, Central Java.

        PPP chairman Suryadharma Ali said his party was intending to change the capitalist economic system into a society-based economy in order to awaken the nation. "The capitalist economic system has failed to provide benefits for the people," he added.

        Therefore he called on supporters to vote for PPP in order to return its past glory through the elections on Thursday.

        Earlier, Suryatharma Ali called on the General Elections Commission (KPU) to resolve the problem of fictitious voters' lists immediately.

        "I appeal to the KPU to work more seriously to improve the fictitious voters' lists soon," the PPP chairman said. Up to now, fictitious voters' lists are still found in a number of regions which could lead to election frauds.

        "If KPU is not serious enough in resolving the problem it is feared it would lead to illegitimate election results and create distrust among the public," he said. ***1*** (T.A014/H-NG/A/E002) (T.A014/A/A014/A/E002) 05-04-2009 21:45:39