Jakarta – Political parties in Indonesia have capitalised on the recent flood disaster to court support among the masses, according to Tempo weekly magazine.

It says the politicians have cleverly mixed humanitarian aid missions with campaign tactics. The next general election is in 2004 but that has not stopped the various parties from putting up banners, insignia and party flags in flood-hit areas in Jakarta. The plastic bags that contain food aid are adorned with party labels, says the magazine.

And party leaders have even stepped out of their luxury homes and into the floodwaters to hand out aid publicly. They include President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who leads the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar party boss Akbar Tandjung, National Mandate Party (PAN) chief Amien Rais and National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Alwi Shihab.

At the lower level, activists, cadres and sympathisers have followed suit. In the past week, many of the command posts set up to help ease the flood disaster have been established by the political parties, though some have also been set up spontaneously by Jakarta residents.

At a National Awakening Party (PKB) post in East Jakarta, a pile of used sacks marked with the letters GD – for Gus Dur, or Abdurrahman Wahid, the former president and the party's senior elder – was found. About 300 m away, at the Justice Party (PK) command post, men volunteered to help load goods from residents' flooded homes. Further down the street, the PDI-P has its command post located near the local sub-district office.

While acknowledging the parties' intentions are good, residents are also under no illusion about the flood disaster's being politicised. "When I was going to take rice, I was asked which party I belonged to," said one.

Political analyst Arbi Sanit said the move was legal but if it was not right, the people would punish the parties in their own way.