Central Java gubernatorial candidates to intensify campaign

By Bustanuddin

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Five pairs of Central Java gubernatorial candidates still have a relatively short time to intensify their campaigns in the last part of a two week-campaign scheduled from June 5 to 18, 2008 which will end on Wednesday.

The five pairs of contestants are Bambang Sadono and Muhammad Adnan, Agus Soeyitno and Kholiq Arif, Sukawi Sutarip and Sudharto, Bibit Waluyo and Rustriningsih and Tamzil and Rozak Rais.

Bambang Sadono and Muhammad Adnan, are supported by Golkar Party, Sukawi Sutarip by Democrat Party and Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS), Bibit Waluyo by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), H.A. Kholiq Arief by the National Awakening Party (PKB), and Mohammad Tamzil by the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN).

In the previous day of the campaign, they promised to raise the people`s welfare, apart from paying more attention to education and improve the facilites for health services.

They also expressed readiness to win or lose in a direct election which will take place on June 22, 2008.

Their note of expression to win or lose was read out by K.H. Sahal Mahfud, chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) in a mass prayer (Istighotsah) conducted on the occasion of the upcoming gubernatorial election.

The contestants also expressed their readiness to take part in the direct elections in a fair, just, and democratic as well as polite manner, and without violating the election rulings.

A survey made in Semarang recently showed that Bibit Waluyo and his running mate Ms Rustrinigsih were the most favored among the five pairs that are to contest the gubernatorial election.

Bibit Waluyo, retired three-star general is former commander of Army`s Strategic Reserved Command (Kostrad), while his running mate Rustriningsih is a one-time regent of Kebumen, Central Java.

The Bibit Waluyo-Rustriningsih candidates with the highest poll rating need at least five million votes to win one round of Central Java`s gubernatorial election, a party leader said.

Murdoko, chairman of the Central Java chapter of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said that the pair should win 30 percent or more than five million of the votes to win one round of the election which will take place on June 22, 2008.

According to Murdoko, the number of non-voters was expected to reach about 35 percent, so that if the election was participated in by some 26 million people, there would be about 9.1 million non-voters.

Thus, the Bibit-Rustriningsih pair should at least grab 30 percent out of the 16.9 million valid votes (65 percent).

Under the regulations, a pair of candidates can win the first round of the election if they managed to collect 30 percent of the number of valid votes.

"This is a very difficult job, so we need support from all cadres of the party," said Murdoko who is also chairman of the Provincial Legislative Assembly (DPRD).

In the meantime, Pramono Anung, secretary general of PDI-P wished that the party`s candidate could win in the first round in a bid to save energy, ideas and funds.

The incumbent Central Java governor H. Ali Mufiz has called on all the people in the province to come to the polling booths (TPS) on the vote casting day on June 22.

The governor made the remarks in anticipating the recent apahty of the people in the province not to take part in the gubernatorial election.

"I hear directly when I accompanied the president in his official visit to Magelang some time ago that a number of people would not cast their vote," Ali said.

The governor reminded that the 2008 direct elections in the province would be held for the first time and this would become a historical event. (*)