By Mafoot Simon THE story goes that motorists worried about accidents during Indonesian elections carry the colours of all contesting parties – it's their ticket to a safe passage.
But that was in the past.
Now, the mood here seems to be one of making sure that the two-stage elections – to choose members of the legislature as well as a new president of the country – proceed smoothly without wrecking business.
Mr Moerdono, 26, a driver for a tourist agency, is concerned that any upheaval during the upcoming election will damage his livelihood.
"If troubles erupt during the elections, I will be the first to be affected. Tourists will stop coming. How do I feed my children?" said the father of two young boys.
If political leaders keep their word, Mr Moerdono need not worry as Haji M. Sudarno, the local leader of Golkar, agreed: "Our economy will be affected as tourism is our primary source of revenue."
His view is shared by leaders of two major political parties – the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle (PDI-P) and the United Development Party (PPP). They fear a troubled Yogyakarta during the election will keep away not just tourists but potential investors as well.
Indeed, as part of a continuing effort to encourage tourists and businessmen to visit Yogyakarta, Indonesia's national airline Garuda now flies direct to Kuala Lumpur.
PDI-P leader Haji Juwanto talked about developing cottage industries such as making leather jackets in religious schools for export.
Mr Muslih Elyas, the local secretary of the Islamic PPP, hopes to see more investments from Singapore.
Golkar's Haji M. Sudarno is confident that the election will be smooth as the security authorities are now better placed to handle incidents, especially with a clear demarcation of responsibilities between the army and police.
But should the duty to ensure a safe and sound election be the responsibility of the security authorities only? Academic A. Kardiyat Wiharyanto, in a local newspaper article, said political leaders have a key role by ensuring party members and sympathisers do not create trouble.
Another group that could cause trouble, said Mr Agus Triyatno, a member of an independent monitoring body comprising individuals from various sectors, is the security arm of political parties.
He said some of these groups have split loyalties, migrating from one party to another – often the new and smaller parties.
One solution, said Mr Kardiyat, is for the political parties to abandon their own security arms.
"In fact, in previous elections these security personnel were also involved in the clashes between different groups to protect their own party members and sympathisers," he said.
He suggested that in this election, any party which breaks the law should be sanctioned and prohibited from campaigning. In the meantime, tourism worker Moerdono is hoping for the best.