Indonesian political parties kick off nationwide campaigns

A total of 12 Indonesian political parties at the national level kicked off a 21-day nationwide campaigns on Sunday to win the votes of 158.8 million voters in the April 9, 2014 legislative elections.

On Saturday, leaders of the 12 political parties fielding candidates in the 2014 legislative elections declared their commitment to maintaining the security and integrity of the campaigns, to be carried out March 16 to April 5, 2014.

The declaration was read before the secretary general and seven commissioners of the General Elections Commission (KPU,) as well as hundreds of members of the political parties, at National Monument Square (Monas).

During the campaign and election activities, the Jakarta Police will deploy about 18,000 personnel to secure all activities.

"The Jakarta Police will field some 18,000 personnel to secure the legislative elections. They will be stationed at all polling booths," Jakarta Police Spokesman Senior Commissioner Rikwanto said on Sunday.

On the political parties campaigns in Jakarta on Sunday, Rikwanto said that his office had received notifications for campaign activities from a number of political parties.

He said that the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) will hold a campaign at the Bung Karno Sports Complex with about 80,000 supporters, the National Awakening Party (PKB) with 250 supporters while the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) would campaign at Teluk Pucung Square with 10,000 supporters.

Besides that, Rikwanto said, a public debate on Sunday was also held by Fahira Ifris, a Regional Representative Council (DPD)s legislative candidate at the Otista Youth Center, East Jakarta, with a number of supporters of about 1,500 people.

The PDIP, which announced popular figure Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo or Jokowi, as its presidential candidate, began its first-day campaign in Jakarta, sending Jokowi to a number of historic places in the capital city.

"Indonesia Great has begun. The nations awakening also started from this place," Effendi Simbolon, one of the PDIP campaigners, said during the PDIP campaign with Joko Widodo at the National Awakening Museum in Central Jakarta.

When campaigning at the Pancasila building in Jalan Pejambon Jakarta, Jokowi read the text of state Ideology Pancasila.

PDIP General Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also Indonesias fifth president, meanwhile is scheduled to campaign in Surabaya, East Java, on Monday.

"Megawati is scheduled to attend PDIPs campaign at Surabayas Pancasila Sports Complex tomorrow," Liaison Officer of East Javas PDIP Executive Board Didik Rasetiyono told ANTARA News on Sunday.

Didik said PDIP, which was ranked third in the 2009 legislative elections and won only 14.03 percent of the 104.099 million votes, had set itself a target to win 22 percent of the votes at the national level and 25 percent of the parliamentary seats in parliament in this years elections.

With the nomination of Jokowi as its presidential hopeful, however, political analyst Ari Junaedi of the University of Indonesia believed that the PDIP will win 27.02 percent or about 152 seats in the parliament.

"I am convinced the PDIP will reap 27.02 percent of the votes and secure 152 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) in the April 9 legislative elections. This is because Jokowi will be elected not only by the PDIP supporters, but also by other parties backers. So, the gains of the PDIP will increase significantly," Ari Junaedi said.

In the meantime, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) mobilized around 250,000 of its cadres in its first national political campaign for the legislative elections in Jakarta on Sunday.

The partys deputy secretary general, Fahri Hamzah, told newsmen hundreds of thousands PKS cadres would fill campaign locations across the city including the Bung Karno main stadium.

The campaign events were aimed at encouraging party cadres and board members to retake the partys 2004 victory. "There will be around 250,000 party cadres involved. The slogan is Lets make Jakarta white," he said. White is the color of the partys flag.

In his oration, PKS President Anis Matta said his partys hard journey towards the Palace of the state leadership in the 2014 elections was comparable to the heavy journey of the Prophet Jusuf (Josheph).

"Let me ask you now, have we got out of the well? Indeed we have come out of it and we have arrived in the second round like the journey of the Prophet Yusuf towards the Palace," he told supporters of the PKS which was ranked fourth in the 2009 legislative elections after winning 7.88 percent of the votes.

The Golkar Party, a former political machine of the New Order Government and was ranked second in the 2009 legislative elections and won 14.45 percent of the votes, staged its first day campaign in Serang, Benten Province, on Sunday.

"So far, Banten is Golkars main supporters enclave from where it reaps a lot of votes. So we started our campaign here based on the KPU schedule," Chief Coordinator of Golkars Success Team (BKPP) Idrus Marham.

He made the remarks after the kicking off of Golkar campaign by its general chairman and presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie at Maulana Yusuf Stadium, Serang.

In the meantime, the ruling Democratic Party (PD) which was ranked first and won 20.85 percent of the 2009 legislative elections, is scheduled to campaign on Sunday in Magelang, Central Java.

PDs general chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who is also the president of Indonesia was previously scheduled to attend the campaign in Magelang district. But he later cancelled the plan because he has to lead a haze emergency response military operation in Riau province.

Magelang Branch Office of PD chief Sad Priyo Putro said on Saturday he had almost made full preparations for Sundays campaign which was previously scheduled to be attended by Yudhoyhono.

The PD, Golkar Party, PDIP and PKS were the four major winner parties in the 2009 legislative elections which were contested by 38 political contestants with valid votes totaling 104,009,785.

In next April 9 legislative elections, a total of 15 political parties in Indonesia have been verified by the General Elections Commission (KPU) and have the right to participate in the elections.

Three of the 15 are local parties for the Aceh electorate while 12 others are the national parties that will participate in the parliamentary elections in April.

The national parties consist of the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Indonesian Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP), the Golkar Party (Golkar), and the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra).

The line-up also includes the Democratic Party (Demokrat), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP), the Peoples Conscience Party (Hanura), the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI).

They will contest to win the votes of 158.8 million eligible voters. (*)

Source: ANTARA