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To: BubbaFred who wrote (47955)	4/5/2004 12:28:16 AM
From: elmatador	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

Indonesian people on the street doesn't take the elections serious. They have seen what the post-Suharto 'democratic' era is all about and didn't like. They remember Suharto era as the good old days. Political rallies are staged on an allocated day for every party. This is thought as to avoid political clashes. I have another idea about it: The political rallies -taking place on a football stadium- participants are mostly paid by the parties to show the masses with their colors. So today the guy dresses in red and rally for one party. Tomorrow he dons the color green and rally for the other and so it goes. Had the all parties rallying on a single day, there won't be people enough to concentrate for every single party rallying. Or the prices would have to go up since there's a limited number of people who are professioanl supporters. The official version is that all parties rally would cause clashes and police had to act. a

To: BubbaFred who wrote (47955)	4/5/2004 12:29:45 AM
From: elmatador	Respond to of 74559

Suharto clan surfs wave of nostalgia By Shawn Donnan Published: March 31 2004 5:00 \| Last Updated: March 31 2004 5:00 The watchdog Transparency International this month put the family of Indonesian strongman Suharto at the head of its list of all-time corrupt leaders, estimating the family had stashed away as much as $35bn (€28.7bn, £19.2bn) in 32 years of rule. But that has not ended the family's political ambitions. Flying high above Java in a private jet yesterday, watching a Mr Bean DVD while family and friends sat behind, was Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, Mr Suharto's eldest daughter. "Sister Tutut", as she is known to most Indonesians, has been campaigning across Indonesia for the past three weeks for the new Concern for a Functional Nation party (PKPB) ahead of legislative elections on April 5. Her travels are part of what analysts say is a long-shot attempt to win Indonesia's presidency and repair her family's tainted image. They also fit in with another feature of this year's election season - the return to prominence of often-notorious Suharto-era personalities brought about by a nostalgia for his rule that few would have predicted when he left office in 1998. Ms Suharto insists Transparency International's corruption allegations are misplaced. "I never think too much about that because I know my father is not like that," she told the FT. Many believe it was popular anger at the mounting greed of Sister Tutut and her siblings that caused Suharto's downfall, but Ms Suharto insists she did nothing wrong. "It's never been proven that I committed corruption," she said. At rallies in the Javanese city of Bandung and on Lombok island yesterday, Ms Suharto promised more funds for education, increased security and a "more moral" government. She also offered greetings from her 83-year-old father, who has escaped trial by claiming ill-health and lives in semi-seclusion in central Jakarta. "Father Harto sends his best regards," she yelled to the crowd in Bandung, using the name most Indonesians employ. "Do you still love Father Harto?" Sister Tutut is not the most prominent Suharto-era figure on the campaign trail this year. That title goes to Akbar Tandjung, a former Suharto minister who now leads the Golkar party, which polls show leading the field. Also considered a more serious candidate is Wiranto, a former defence minister and retired general who once claimed to be Mr Suharto's most loyal soldier. He is challenging Mr Tandjung for Golkar's presidential nomination despite his indictment on charges of crimes against humanity by UN prosecutors in East Timor. The slickest offering, however, may be that of Prabowo Subianto, Mr Suharto's former son-in-law. After largely retiring from the public arena in 1998 after accusations that he ordered the kidnapping of student activists, the former head of Indonesia's special forces is also seeking the Golkar nomination. In polished television advertisements, he pledged a return to Indonesia's days as an economic tiger. That kind of message is finding a receptive audience. A poll taken by the Asia Foundation last year found 53 per cent of Indonesians wanted a return to a "strong leader like Suharto". Additional reporting by Taufan Hidayat