The Jakarta Post
May 23, 2009
Megawati and Prabowo Embrace Grassroots
by Dicky Christanto
The "People's economy" is a central and strategic issue Megawati Soekarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto are raising to increase public support for their election bid.
Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Prabowo's Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) are preparing to make the grassroots aware of the significance of "people's economy" during their presidential campaign.
Hasto Kristianto, deputy secretary of the Megawati-Prabowo team, said groups of party activists would be deployed to explain the pair's working programs, which emphasize the need to promote the concept of "people's economy".
Gerindra deputy chairman Fadli Zon said these groups would assist people to get familiar with the idea.
"This idea means empowering the people to attain autonomy over finance, food, national defense and strategic industries.
"There are plenty of ways available, ways that could be taken without sacrificing the lives of the people," Fadli added.
University of Indonesia political expert Maswadi Rauf said there was no other way for Megawati and Prabowo but to once again struggle to uphold people's economy as a strategic issue.
"We still face issues of corruption, poverty, lack of jobs and foreign debts, thus Megawati and Prabowo should be go all out in promoting their people's economy theory to win the election. They should do whatever it takes, including arranging some improvements," he said.
In another strategy to woo support from voters during the July 8 presidential election, the PDI-P and Gerindra plan to offer simple yet meaningful working programs during their campaign.
The two coalition partners also said they would have to improve strategies to convince voters the Megawati-Prabowo ticket would work hand-in-hand for the people, especially at the grassroots level.
"We have realized that right now we are living in the era of how to retain public image. This time we are paying serious
attention to this particular area by offering simple yet meaningful working programs," Hasto said.
"But of course we won't sell an empty and fake public image, which in the end would generate nothing but great confusion to the people," he added without elaborating.
Gerindra deputy secretary-general Abdul Harris Bobihoe said the pair's plan to publicly declare the partnership of Megawati and Prabowo for the race in Bantar Gebang, a slum area in Bekasi, two hour's drive east of Jakarta, on Sunday, is part of their strategy to get close to the grassroots.
"After the declaration event, we will move forward with more programs," Harris said.
The event is expected to involve thousands of people from all walks of life.
PDI-P politician and declaration coordinator Aria Bima, said 10,000 people were invited to the event.
Asked about the funding for the pair's presidential campaign, Arif Wibowo of the PDI-P's campaign team said the
Megawati-Prabowo ticket had collected Rp 15 billion in cash from supporters.
"But this is just an initial record of the funds, of course we expect more to be collected soon to finance the whole campaign agenda," he said.
Hasto said the Rp 15 billion fund was not enough to educate voters about the pair's programs.
"We need at least a series of advertisements in various kinds of media, tons of leaflets containing explanations of our working programs, and thousands of human resources," he said.
"I predict we are going to spend more than Rp 100 billion."
In comparison, Gerindra and Prabowo were rumored to have spent more than Rp 500 billion on advertisements for the legislative elections.
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I think it’s spent much money and it’s big out put as we know that Prabowo is a rice people but he should not spent much money only for campaign. It’s possible, one of effort from Prabowo to interest many people, so all people choose him.
Although Prabowo spent much money but he isn’t certain to be the winner.
I think Prabowo spent much money to promote himself. His’s one of person who build up the new party. He need helping from everyone to choose them in general election. He hope that he will win. As we know from the TV ads, Prabowo with Gerindra is the creative one to show their ability in politics by influence people. From the research says that Prabowo is the richest in our country. So, it’s possible to him to spent much money.
I think Prabowo is richest of all candidates. He has much money to promote himself especially his party by using TV ads. It is fact that Prabowo spent much money for TV ads.
As we know that the General Election Commission (KPU) announced if Prabowo was the richest among the candidates, so there was not problem for him to spent much money for campaign, if finally he will get what he want. And I think Prabowo have difficult pair so he must work hard and spent much money to get supporter to loss his pair (SBY-Boediono, Megawati-Wiranto)
I think from this topic Prabowo more over for TV ads. It’s so negative for us. Okay in another side Prabowo is rich man but I think it will be better if he used for another one. For example: Sumbangan for poorness.
Prabowo must be usefull his property in another way not only for champaign, it’s so stupid if he do it.
I think it’s up to them and no problem to us. It’s one a way to them to get positif respons from people. As far they don’t use people money, it’s not wrong. And we mustn’t think about this. We just think about what they can do for us, with look they have doing to us.
That is not a few money, I think. That’s much money. I think that’s too glamour, if we compare with the other candidates. Prabowo has the largest rich, if for the candidate pair SBY is the largest.
I think this is no problem for him and I think he spent much money to find a sympatizm from Indonesian society, especially low society. In his advertising space, he explain how the way he changes Indonesia if he chosen as a leader. With his party, Prabowo struggle to make Indonesia better than before.
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