How's this for a different view? This quote comes courtesy of Lonely Planet's website on news in Indo, dated March 15, 1999:
"The embattled Indonesian tourist industry plans to use the upcoming general elections as a tourist attraction. Enterprising tour operators are offering the 'General Election Tourism Package' for around US$200 a day. But what you get for your US$200.00 a day remains a bit sketchy. Although tensions are rising in the lead up to the election campaign, tourism officials say this need not cause concern for tourists present during the election. Indonesian tourism has suffered as a result of riots and political and social unrest, with foreign visitor numbers for 1998 down 20% from the previous year. The government has recently announced that foreign journalists covering the election will not be required to have a visa during their stay in Indonesia. The election has been scheduled for 7 June. "