CENTRAL JAVA -- MAJOR OPPOSITION PARTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001517 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/PD NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL KPAO ID SUBJECT: CENTRAL JAVA -- MAJOR OPPOSITION PARTY INCREASINGLY OPTIMISTIC REF: A. JAKARTA 1477 ¶B. 07 JAKARTA 3273 AND PREVIOUS JAKARTA 00001517 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Pol/C visited Central Java, Indonesia's third-largest province by population, August 7-8. Representatives of the PDI-P, the main opposition PARTY to President Yudhoyono, expressed optimism in light of recent electoral victories. Meanwhile, members of Golkar, a key party in Yudhoyono's coalition, seemed demoralized by recent electoral results. Many interlocutors of all stripes thought that Indonesia needed to develop a new generation of politicians. Over all, these trends mirrored those on the national political scene. Pol/C--in a public outreach event at a local university--reviewed the U.S. presidential election campaign process. END SUMMARY. IN CENTRAL JAVA ¶2. (U) Pol/C and Pol FSN visited Semarang, the capital of Central Java, August 7-8. Central Java, with about 35 million inhabitants, is the third most populous province in Indonesia and Semarang--with over 1.6 million people--is the fifth-largest city. The city is an important administrative center, and port, rail and road NEXUS for Java Island. The city is cosmopolitan, containing a large Chinese Indonesian and Christian population. Though bustling, Semarang is not as wealthy as Jakarta. ¶3. (C) Pol/C met with outgoing Governor Ali Mufiz on August ¶7. Mufiz--who is a political independent--had not run in the recent gubernatorial election, preferring to go back to academic life. Mufiz commented that the political situation in Central Java was calm: the recent election had gone smoothly, for example. Indonesians looked forward to the April 2009 national legislative elections, which will be followed by the presidential election in July 2009. KEY OPPOSITION PARTY IN HIGH SPIRITS ¶4. (C) Governor Mufiz noted that there was a lot of concern among Central Javanese about price rises, including food and fuel costs. He said this explained, to a great extent, the recent electoral win for the Indonesian PARTY of Democratic Struggle (PDI-P),Indonesia's major opposition party, in Central Java's governor's race. (Note: The June 22 gubernatorial election was won by Bibit Waluyo, a former general, and his running mate, Rustriningsih--one name only. The PDI-P duo will be inaugurated later this month.) ¶5. (C) Representatives of PDI-P agreed that concerns about inflation had assisted their party's victory. Vice Governor-elect Rustriningsih told Pol/C during their August 8 meeting that the PDI-P had made "meeting peoples' concerns" its major platform and this included dealing with economic insecurity. Rustriningsih and other PDI-P members expressed great optimism about the chances of the PARTY in the 2009 elections, noting that the PARTY had done relatively well in recent elections and was doing well in the polls (see Reftels). That said, she remarked that the 2009 elections "were months away" and PDI-P was "not counting its chickens before they hatch." ¶6. (C) Rustriningshih herself was quite impressive. A long-time politician, she was articulate and amiable. Credited with helping get Muslim voters out in support of the secular-oriented PDI-P, she was dressed in a Muslim head scarf. MAJOR COALITION PARTY DOWNCAST JAKARTA 00001517 002.2 OF 003 ¶7. (C) On the other hand, members of Golkar--a key PARTY in Yudhoyono's coalition and the largest PARTY in the national legislature--seemed downcast and demoralized by recent electoral results, including a second-place showing in Central Java's governor's race. Central Javanese representatives of the PARTY had no real explanation for why the PARTY had lost a long string of recent gubernatorial elections and why the PARTY was doing relatively poorly in the polls. They noted some concerns to the effect that they felt that Vice President Jusuf Kalla, the Golkar PARTY leader, was not very charismatic and was not managing the party well. ¶8. (C) Suyatno Pedro, the Deputy Chair of Golkar for Central Java, acknowledged to Pol/C that the PARTY was "going through a difficult phase." He predicted, however, that the PARTY would improve its standing in upcoming elections. In reply to a question, he noted that it was not clear whether or not Golkar would support President Yudhoyono next year, commenting that it was possible it might run its own presidential candidate. NEED FOR A NEW POLITICS ¶9. (C) Many interlocutors thought that Indonesia needed to develop a new generation of politicians. Pol/C picked up a great deal of criticism of the current crop of probable presidential candidates. President Yudhoyono was seen, for example, as intelligent and honest, but not capable of moving quickly to solve problems. Meanwhile, former president and PDI-P leader Megawati was seen as committed to her populist program, but headstrong and a poor manager. Former general Wiranto was seen as decisive, but stigmatized by his poor human rights record and connections to the Suharto regime. While no one was mentioned by name, the feeling was that the country needed to develop new leaders in order to meet challenges--and quickly. In particular, corruption and rising prices were seen as key problems. ¶10. (C) Interestingly, one motor that seemed to be driving these views was the campaign of Senator Barack Obama. Not only were Indonesians massively in favor of his candidacy (in part because Obama spent part of his youth in Indonesia),but they seemed to have internalized the situation, saying Senator Obama's candidacy was an international endorsement of "change" and "a new politics." Many Central Javanese critiqued Indonesia's own political situation using the language of "change" and citing Senator Obama. MIRRORING NATIONAL TRENDS ¶11. (C) Over all, trends in Central Java mirrored those on the national political scene. In Jakarta circles, PDI-P is seen as being on the upswing while Golkar is seen as having serious problems. The discomfort with politics as usual is also seen on a national scale. Among the chattering classes in Jakarta, however, there is widespread belief that one of the acknowledged major candidates at this time will probably win and there is little likelihood of a dark horse "change" candidate. PUBLIC OUTREACH TO STUDENTS ¶12. (U) Pol/C spoke August 8 at Diponegero University, a public institution. About 60 students and faculty participated in the event. Pol/C's PowerPoint presentation focused on the U.S. presidential election, noting that House, Senate, gubernatorial and other races will also be held in ¶2008. Pol/C discussed the presumptive Democratic and Republican PARTY candidates and their policy views. He also discussed the role of the political conventions and the general election campaign, culminating in the election on JAKARTA 00001517 003.2 OF 003 November 4. Pol/C also spent some time discussing the Electoral College and how it works. The question-and-answer session was lively, with the Oprah Winfrey-quoting students asking many well-informed, probing questions about the process. HUME