VZCZCXRO9450
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJS #0053 2881010
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151010Z OCT 07
FM AMCONSUL SURABAYA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0073
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0016
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0065
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0014
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 0003
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 0001
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSQOKYO 0005
RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 0075

UNCLAS SURABAYA 000053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
QDEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, IRN/EAP, DRL/PHD, INL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KISL KCOR ID
SUBJECT: EAST NUSA TENGGARA: CAMPAIGNS, CORRUPTION AND CREATIVITY 
 
 
THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE PROTECT 
ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Surabaya Pol/Econ Officer and Pol/Econ Assistant met 
with the leadership of Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic 
Party of Struggle (PDI-P) during a recent visit to East Nusa 
Tenggara (NTT).  These political parties currentQold 21 and 
12 seats respectively of the 55 total seats in NTT's Provincial 
Legislature.  During separate meetings on October 3, leadership 
of the two parties expressed nearly identical campaign 
platforms: assisting rural development and improving education, 
health, and infrastructure.  PDI-P's Megawati carried NTT in the 
2004 presidential race and PDI-P will try to translate this into 
a local victory and overcome Golkar's majority in next year's 
provincial elections.  PDI-P will succeed only if they can use 
economic development and anti-corruption as rallying cries to 
beat Golkar's entrenched organization and cadre structure. 
 
Golkar's Tour d'Horizon: Corruption and Creativity 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) We met with the Regent of Kupang, Ibrahim Agustinus 
Medah, just seven days before the head of the NTT provincial 
police called for his indictment on corruption charges.  During 
our 10 October meeting, Medah wasted no time in preempting our 
questions about corruption in NTT.  Blaming regional autonomy, 
he pointed to the new challenges of big budget fiscal 
management, "A leader first and foremost needs creativity and a 
vision in order to use financial resources.  Corruption is a 
problem here, but due to a lack of information the average 
villager is unaware of it.  It's the NGOs and media who focus on 
corruption."  Indeed the Consulate's NGOs contacts in NTT 
mentioned Medah's corruption as emblematic of the mismanagement 
of the general allocation fund (DAU) province-wide.  Once source 
at Catholic Relief Services told us he had learned that DAU 
funds were moved into and out of various banks in a misguided 
effort to earn interest. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Nobody in NTT suggested that pending corruption 
charges would be anything other than a speed bump for sitting 
officials like Medah and five others who have been publicly 
accused.  Prospects for Golkar in the 2008 election are good 
according to Medah, who speculated that while only 10% of NTT 
has ready access to information about Golkar's candidates, the 
rest of the rural population will make it to the polling 
stations through the efforts of party cadre on the scene. 
"Making people aware of our mission and vision is a real 
challenge here," said Medah.  He put the level of voter 
participation between 80-90% and attributed any lack of 
participation to geographical limitations, limited penetration 
of media, and poor infrastructure. 
 
PDIP-P: The Search for Post "Big Man" Politics 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4. (SBU) PDI-P party officials were also optimistic and said 
they expect victory in the legislative and gubernatorial 
elections.  PDI-P's presidential candidate Megawati carried the 
province during the national elections in 2004 and the NTT party 
secretary hopes that this national victory can be translated 
 
SIPDIS 
into a local one next year.  PDI-P will seek to burnish its 
reputation as the party of the common man, while painting Golkar 
as the party of corrupt bureaucrats.  The ten PDI-P Party 
workers and officials who met with us in their party offices 
told us that PDI-P is a young party and a draws its members from 
all levels of NTT population; farmers, fishermen and small 
business people.  Citing the advantages of Golkar incumbency, 
PDI-P officials said campaigning on the issues against Golkar's 
well-known "big figures" is easily stymied by well-organized 
Golkar cadres who get out the vote.  They hope to counteract 
this advantage by educating voters and an improving their own 
get-out-the-vote effort. 
 
MCCLELLAND