Today on May 9, the national leadership of the PRD in coordination with the city leadership of the PRD in eight major cities (Lampung, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, Surabaya, Palu and Manado) again carried out a graffiti and poster campaign calling on the Indonesian people to boycott the 1997 elections, which are unconstitutional, corrupt and do not promise change towards the advancement of democracy.

The PRD membership, which now active underground, wrote on walls, bus stops and stick posters up in strategic locations. The posters and graffiti read:

1. Save your yellow card, collect them for the Megawati-PDI as a sign that we boycotted the corrupt 1997 elections

2. Boycott the elections until the dual function of the military is abolished

3. It is not right to continue the elections, BOYCOTT!

4. Boycott the elections until the packet of 5 political laws are abolished

5. Without Mega's PDI, boycott the elections

6. Megawati should boycott the elections!

This graffiti and poster actions is the second action carried out by the PRD. The first action was carried out on April 3. The aim of the second action is to again clarify for the people that in a the most repressive situation where the military are endeavoring to make the elections a success, the PRD continues to endeavor to cause the elections to fail. It is not right for the 1997 elections to be made a success, because these elections are legally flawed and unconstitutional, because the do not include one of the legal political parties, that is the pro-Megawati PRD, but certainly do included the political party which is unconstitutional, that is Suryadi's PDI. The 1997 elections are also corrupt, because the regulations, and its implementation have never been honest and fair, but has been manipulated only in order to ensure a Golkar victory. Therefore, the only meaning of the 1997 elections is as a tool to maintain the status quo. The 1997 elections will not bring the smallest change in the advance of democratisation, which is the best road towards an improvement in the peoples fortunes.

For the Jakarta-Bogor-Tangerang-Bekasi (Jabotabek) region, PRD members carried out actions in the following locations:

Central Jakarta

1. Jalan Salemba, in front of the Pasewan bank
2. Around the medical faculty of the Salemba Indonesian University
3. The Salemba bemo station

South Jakarta

1. The Blok M bus terminal, lane 6
2. The Jalan Trunojoyo bus stop, before PLN
3. Jalan Tendean, near the Golden Truly supermarket
4. Jalan Gatot Subroto, near Balai Kartini (on the sides of the toll road)
5. A Kopaja bus, route 88, No B7658 JG

Tangerang

There were 22 locations, including the length of Jl. Ciledug Raya, and on factory walls.

North Jakarta

A. Grafity actions:

1. Jl. Yos Sudarso, on the wall of PT. Tancho Indonesia and PT. Federal
2. The Plumpung bus stop
3. Plumpung bridge
4. The Ular Market bus stop
5. Menara Grafitty

B. Pastups:

1. Jl. Plumpung
2. Around the pool bus stop
3. Jl. Ampera
4. Jalan Tanjung Priok
5. Jalan Tanjung Priok, near the port
6. The Bulok industrial zone
7. Tugu Cakung

Information on other locations will follow as it becomes available.

[Translated by James Balowski]