Next year’s legislative election is unlikely to yield any improvement in the quality of lawmakers since political parties have selected candidates based on popularity rather than ability, with an Indonesian Voters Institute analysis of the candidate lists submitted by the 12 parties participating in next year’s ballot finding most contenders are

Badge reads: Celebrity legislative candidate

1st Man: Is this Indonesian Idol or Indonesia searching for talent?

2nd Man: Let’s hope it’s not a stand up comedy...

Rakhmatulloh – Women labour activists from the Joint Labour Secretariat (Sekber Buruh) Women’s Action Committee held a protest action in front of the Jakarta governor’s office at the Jakarta city hall calling on related institutions, central and regional governments to formulate policies that do not harm women.

Aditya Revianur, Jakarta – The coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Haris Ashar says that the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) should issue a list of 2014 presidential (capres) and legislative (caleg) candidates that have committed crimes against humanity.

Drum reads: Political racket

M Zaid Wahyudi – The growing number of ordinary people’s votes that are needlessly lost is a direct consequence of the application of an increasingly higher parliamentary threshold.

Umi Kulsum and Ignatius Kristanto – Two months have passed, but like an engine, they have also yet to “warm up”. Yet, their numbers have increased significantly compared with the previous period. What’s going on?

Medan – On April 5 scores of people from the North Sumatra Union for the Politics of the Poor Front (FPPRM-SU) held a protest action at the Mejestik roundabout in the North Sumatra city of Medan opposing the April 9 legislative elections.

Man: Why be confused? Just vote according to your conscience... (badge reads legislative candidate)

Kid: So where’s your conscience Mr?

Man: In... the... p... pawn shop

Khairul Ikhwan, Medan – Some 50 or so students in the North Sumatra city of Medan demonstrated on April 2 against the general elections that will take place on April 9. The group said that students believe that the elections will not bring about change or resolve the problems of the ordinary people.

Robert, Samarinda – Scores for students from the Mulawarman University in East Kalimantan provincial city of Samarinda demonstrated on March 30 against the 2009 general elections. During the action they destroyed or set fire to posters, banners and other promotional material belonging to legislative candidates.

Kid: It’s not that he’s suffering from withdrawal symptoms cos of being ensnared in a narcotics network... but more because...

1st man: Lots of jobs, cheap commodities, cheap schooling, cheap hospital treatment...

2nd man: Yes!

1st man: But it’s only a promise...

In the Central Java city of Yogyakarta, scores of students from the Gajah Mada University held campaigns at a number of different university faculties calling for an election boycott.

The students said they were pessimistic that there were any political parties or legislative candidates that would struggle for cheap education.

Jakarta – The Star Reform Party (PBR) is positioning itself as a religious party that is ‘socialistic’, by not accentuating religious symbols, but rather with a substance that sides with marginal groups. Such a position has not yet been taken up by any other Islamic parties.

Jakarta – In administrative terms, the potential for white movement or golput – people who don’t use their right to vote – remains high in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections. Based on the results of an Indo Barometer survey, only 67.2 percent of people think that are enrolled to vote.

Banda Aceh – Intimidation through setting fire to political party offices, banners, billboards and campaign advertising and threats against legislative candidates has tainted the administration of the 2009 elections in Indonesia’s northern-most province of Aceh.

Jakarta (Dtc/Lampost) – The Star Reform Party (PBR) is continuing to select presidential candidates who are suitable for support at its convention.

Jakarta – Believing that the government has failed to side with them, workers have started campaigning for people not to vote in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections. The reason, they feel that it is pointless giving political support to the government.