Jakarta – Many political parties contesting the April 9 elections have wasted the power of the Internet to reach out to a wider range of voters, a study shows.
The survey, conducted by the Indonesian Society for Civilized Elections (ISCEL), reveals that of the 38 parties contesting the polls, only three currently make full use of the Internet for campaigning, while the rest have either ignored it or still rely on the old-fashioned use of print media and outdoor advertisements.
ISCEL said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party was the only contender that consistently publicized its campaign activities through its website. Major rivals such as the Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the United Development Party (PPP) have set up websites, but rarely update them.
ISCEL researcher Ari Juliano Gema said Sunday the findings were quite a surprise. He said that in the information era, political parties should benefit from the Internet to convey their platforms in an effective way, especially among younger Internet-savvy voters.
"People, particular young voters, spend many hours each day on the Internet to get as much current information as possible," he said.
He lamented the fact that many parties had failed to learn from US President Barack Obama, who posted an historic win, thanks in part to the Internet.
Another ISCEL researcher, Budi Purwanto Henricus, said the Internet was the cheapest and easiest way to promote a party, but could deliver up victory, with the information not constrained by geopolitical boundaries.
"I don't know if they can't keep up with technology, but we feel most of the parties don't care that the Internet is important for their voters," he said.
The survey was conducted to see how the parties made effective use of Internet technology, including presenting complete information about the party to people, especially voters. Recent estimates put the number of Internet users in Indonesia at more than 25 million.
The study found most political parties had set up websites, but only a few of them provided information the public badly needed. "Surprisingly, the PDI-P's website is still difficult to access, even now," Ari said.
ISCEL also criticized the parties for failing to provide complete information about their legislative candidates.
"Last January, we sent letters to all the party leaders, asking them to provide complete information about their candidates, especially their education, their affiliated organizations and their platforms," Ari said.
He insisted voters would need such information before they decided on who to vote for. "Of course they have made public their platform through various media, including television. Unfortunately, that information is only about parties, with nothing about legislative candidates," he said. (naf)