Danang Sangga Buwana, Jakarta – National Mandate Party presidential candidate Amien Rais has promised himself that he will not use negative campaign methods in the presidential elections because as well as not being educational it will create an acrimonious atmosphere.

Amien made the statement after performing as a witness at the marriage of the eldest son of the deputy-chairperson of the People’s Representative Assembly, Oesman Sapto Odang, at his home on Jalan Denpasar on Friday May 21. Vice-president Hamzah Haz was also present as a witness.

“I will not be developing a negative campaign. It isn’t conducive. Even more so at the grass roots level it would be negative”, he said. “We must be transparent and democratic. So essentially stop the negative campaigning”, emphasised Rais.

The issue of negative campaigns [referred to by Rais] surfaced following lively anti-military demonstrations which have been opposing [presidential candidates former armed forces chief] Wiranto and SBY [the former coordinating minister for security and politics Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono]. Wiranto has even made the accusation that there was a meeting which was sponsored by a state official to coordinate these kind of demonstrations in order to stop him from winning. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle has said that the meeting which was organised by labour minister Jacob Nuwa Wea – the state official – was not party policy. (nrl)

[Translated by James Balowski.]