Canberra sees fair polls in RI<\/p>\n
CANBERRA (Reuters): Australian foreign affairs officials said
\non Friday they were pleased by the lack of violence in the run-up
\nto Indonesia's landmark national elections and saw no reason why
\nthe poll would not be free and fair.<\/p>\n
They believe the level of violence in the campaign for the
\nJune 7 elections, Indonesia's first democratic poll in more than
\n40 years, had been lower than that experienced in other regional
\ndemocracies despite its turbulent recent history.<\/p>\n
\"One of the things that's been remarkable in the campaign so
\nfar is the low level of violence,\" a Department of Foreign
\nAffairs and Trade (DFAT) official told reporters.<\/p>\n
\"It's a low level of violence compared with countries we
\nregard as democracies, such as India.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesian election officials have suggested they might
\nsuspend voting in the restive province of Aceh due to growing
\nviolence there, while concerns are also high in Ambon, Irian Jaya
\nand East Timor.<\/p>\n
Australia has pledged A$15 million (US$9.75 million) in
\nelectoral support for its nearest northern neighbor. It will also
\nprovide 25 electoral officials to a group of between 350 and 400
\ninternational observers.<\/p>\n
DFAT officials said none of the Australian observers would be
\ndeployed in Ambon, Aceh, Irian Jaya or East Timor, partly because
\nof security concerns.<\/p>\n
The path to the first poll in more than a generation for
\nIndonesia's 130 million voters began when student demonstrations
\nand widespread discontent led to the resignation of long-ruling
\npresident Suharto in May of last year.<\/p>\n
A combustible mix of 48 parties is limited to a campaign
\nperiod stretching from May 19 to June 6, with no one party among
\n10 major contenders expected to gain an outright majority.<\/p>\n
The parties are enjoying relative campaign freedom after years
\nof political suppression. The election was also called on the
\nheels of a harsh economic recession.<\/p>\n
The observers, under the broad umbrella of the United Nations
\nDevelopment Programme, come mainly from the European Union and
\nUnited States and will report to their own governments as well as
\nto Indonesian election officials.<\/p>\n
Australian officials say extensive fraud minimization measures
\nare underway and believe that a workable election system has been
\nput in place for what they described as the biggest logistical
\nexercise in Southeast Asia in decades.<\/p>\n
\"Our judgment at the moment is that there's every possibility
\nthat there'll be a poll that's free and fair,\" another DFAT
\nofficial said. \"At the end of the day it's going to be the
\nIndonesia people who decide whether it's been credible.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/canberra-sees-fair-polls-in-ri-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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