Committee discloses problems in overseeing poll<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Elections Supervisory Committee is finding it difficult to
\nuncover administrative violations by candidates running for seats
\non the Regional Representatives Council in the 2004 general
\nelections due to a lack of witnesses willing to blow the whistle
\non cheaters.<\/p>\n
The committee's vice chairman Saut H. Sirait said most
\npotential witnesses were unwilling to disclose violations by
\nCouncil candidates out of fears for their personal security.<\/p>\n
\"This country does not have a witness protection law. Thus, it
\nis only normal for people to be worried about their safety if
\nthey report violations committed by Council candidates,\" Sirait
\ntold The Jakarta Post Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Each province is allocated three Council seats in the 2004
\nelections and a candidate must have been resident in the province
\nhe wishes to represent for at least three consecutive years prior
\nto the date on which he submitted his candidacy and have lived
\nfor a period of ten consecutive years in that province after he
\nreached the age of 17.<\/p>\n
In addition, a candidate must not have been a member of a
\npolitical party for at least four consecutive years prior to the
\nsubmission of his nomination papers to the Provincial Elections
\nCommission (KPUD).<\/p>\n
On top of that, a candidates must also be supported by the
\nsignatures of between 1,000 and 5,000 people depending on the
\npopulation of the province in which he is standing.<\/p>\n
Reports have been circulating for quite some time that many
\nCouncil candidates had been furnishing fake or forged documents
\nconcerning the residency and public support requirements.<\/p>\n
In East Java, for example, some Council candidates have
\nsubmitted fake identity (ID) cards, which are available on the
\nblack market for between Rp 5,000 (60 U.S. cents) and Rp 10,000
\neach.<\/p>\n
In Central Sulawesi, the Elections Supervisory Committee has
\nindicated that some Council candidates had forced people to
\nsupply them with their signatures and ID card numbers, which were
\nthen used as evidence of support for the candidates.<\/p>\n
Some applicants had also reportedly manipulated the
\ndistribution of cheap rice to the poor so as to ascertain
\npeople's ID card numbers.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, the local general elections commission has
\ndiscovered that 13,000 expired ID cards were used by Council
\ncandidates to support their nominations.<\/p>\n
Other candidates also still hold positions as leaders of
\npolitical parties, which is prohibited by electoral law.<\/p>\n
Under electoral law, such violations carry a maximum penalty
\nof 18 months in jail, or a Rp 6 million fine.<\/p>\n
Sri Sugeng Pujiatmiko, the vice chairman of the East Java
\nElections Supervisory Committee, said on Tuesday that witnesses
\nin two locations in Surabaya, East Java, had disappeared after
\nthe committee tried to contact them.<\/p>\n
\"These people are afraid to report what they know. But without
\ntheir testimony, the cases against the offending Council
\ncandidates are very weak,\" he said.<\/p>\n
To resolve the problem, Saut said the Committee was seeking to
\ncollaborate with a number of monitoring organizations to help
\nprotect witnesses.<\/p>\n
\"Under our plan, we will encourage monitoring organizations
\nrather than individuals to report violations committed by Council
\ncandidates to the committee,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Based on this approach, witnesses would anonymously submit
\nreports to the monitoring organizations, and the latter would
\nthen forward these to the committee, and testify before the court
\nif necessary, he said.<\/p>\n
The General Elections Commission accepted the final
\nnominations for Council candidates on Monday, and started vetting
\nthem on Sept. 16. This process will continue until Nov. 30.<\/p>\n
Some 1,238 people are running for seats on the Council.<\/p>\n
The Elections Supervisory Committee plans to recruit over
\n500,000 volunteers to monitor voting in subdistricts across the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
\"We will decide on the exact number of volunteers later this
\nmonth in cooperation with the House of Representatives and the
\nGeneral Elections Commission,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/committee-discloses-problems-in-overseeing-poll-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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