Army will stay away from election fray<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
As fear grips the government that the elections will not be able
\nto be held on time, the military has made it clear that it will
\nrefrain from taking actions it perceives would blemishing its
\nneutrality.<\/p>\n
With 33 days left until the elections, President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri urged the bureaucracy on Wednesday to assist the
\nGeneral Elections Commission (KPU).<\/p>\n
\"All state apparatus under the President, especially the
\nbureaucracy, must be ready to lend a hand and support the KPU in
\ntheir duties,\" Megawati said in a state apparatus national
\nmeeting in Makassar, South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu warned
\nArmy officers against using military facilities, for fear that
\n\"it may affect the military's neutrality in the general
\nelection\".<\/p>\n
The four-star general also said in a meeting here on Wednesday
\nthat he would not involve his troops in securing the elections if
\nit was aimed at replacing the role of the police, the newly
\nappointed Army spokesman Col. Hotmangaradja Panjaitan said.<\/p>\n
The closed-door meeting was attended by 650 Army field
\nofficers at the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) headquarters in
\nCijantung, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The relationship between the army and the police has been
\nstrained since the later was separated from the military in 2000.<\/p>\n
In Makassar, Megawati cited the problems faced by the KPU,
\nsuch as the distribution of ballot papers and boxes, the lack of
\ninformation about the new electoral system and other logistical
\nissues.<\/p>\n
\"I fully understand that it should be handled by the KPU as
\nthe organizer, but for the sake of the nation, all state
\napparatus must support the KPU to deal with the problems,\" the
\nPresident underlined.<\/p>\n
TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said that the TNI,
\nneeded to know the rules of the game in providing assistance to
\nthe KPU.<\/p>\n
Legislators, meanwhile, have thrown their weight behind the
\ngovernment's plan to assist the KPU to meet their deadline.<\/p>\n
\"Learning about the slow progress of the preparation by the
\nKPU and the explanation from the State Intelligence Agency (BIN),
\nit seems that the KPU is having difficulty in ensuring the
\npreparations for the elections go according to schedule,\"
\nlegislator Ibrahim Ambong said.<\/p>\n
The KPU is an independent body and the first of its kind in
\nthe nation's history.<\/p>\n
Emerging from a closed-door meeting with BIN chief Gen. (ret)
\nA.M. Hendropriyono Ambong said here on Wednesday that the KPU had
\nrevised some of its schedules 33 days ahead of the elections.<\/p>\n
Amid fears of a delay in the elections, the KPU decided last
\nSaturday to change the schedule of the printing and distribution
\nof ballot papers.<\/p>\n
Originally, the printing of ballot papers for House members
\nwas scheduled for Feb. 8, but was then delayed until Feb. 29. The
\nballot papers must have been distributed to all polling stations
\nacross the country by March 12.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/army-will-stay-away-from-election-fray-1447893297",
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