Laurencius Simanjuntak, Jakarta – In the lead up to the 2009 general elections many legislative candidates are using advertisements in the mass media to campaign for themselves. Some however are only being polished up by the media without informing the public about what they have done for the nation and state.
“These leaders are usually people who are directly campaigning using the services of a political consultant. They are transformed, polished so that they [appear] to be a national leader for the future”, said Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) political observer Ikrar Nusa Bakti.
Bakti conveyed this during a dialogue titled “Civil Vs Military Legislative Candidates in the Context of Regional Development”, at the Regional House of Representatives building at the Senayan parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Wednesday September 3.
According to Bakti, these advertisements by legislative candidates are sometimes manipulative because through these ads, the image of prospective leaders can be polished up.
“Whereas what is being polished, never informs the people about what their vision and mission is for Indonesia in the future”, said Bakti.
These advertisements by legislative candidates that have been appearing in many different media, according Bakti, only show the capabilities of candidates in a particular field, not the results of their “[hard work and] sweat”.
“Claiming himself to be a leader of farmers but he has never been a farmer or retail trader”, explain the LIPI researcher when commenting on one particular legislative candidate’s advertisement [ads by former army special forces commander retired General Prabowo Subianto – JB].
National Mandate Party general chairperson Sutrisno Bachir meanwhile, who was also present at the dialogue, said that the advertisements that should be criticised are those whose source of funding is unclear.
“Is if from the state, from the people? Now, my money is kosher money, I’m not a state civil servant, not a minister, a president or vice president”, explained the businessperson form Pekalongan in Central Java. (lrn/nwk)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
