Economist warns fair election difficult in economic crisis<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Noted senior economist Sarbini Sumawinata
\nsaid it was hard to imagine the realization of fair and free
\nelections in the midst of widespread difficulties in buying
\ninexpensive food.<\/p>\n
Antara quoted him on Thursday as saying that economic recovery
\nshould be the main agenda at least until the end of the year.<\/p>\n
\"Elections don't necessarily mean building as many political
\nparties as possible, but it requires people to be prepared,\"
\nhe told a discussion in Surabaya. \"Would the people be able to
\nsurvive until the end of 1998?\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"If things get worse, given the estimate by the ILO
\n(International Labor Organization) of 140 million poor people,
\ntwo out of three people will be poor, so a fair election would be
\ndifficult to realize,\" Sarbini said, referring to elections
\nslated for May 1999.<\/p>\n
The ILO had predicted in its report last month that without
\nany improvement in the economy about 140 million or 66 percent of
\nthe population will be living below the poverty line.<\/p>\n
Observers have raised concern of the increasingly higher
\npotential of vote buying particularly targeting the poor.<\/p>\n
Mulyana W. Kusumah, secretary general of the Independent
\nElection Monitoring Committee (KIPP), said on Wednesday that one
\nconstraint in drawing up a work schedule for election monitoring
\nwas the uncertainty of the timing of elections given the crisis.<\/p>\n
Following a conference on election monitoring, Mulyana said on
\nThursday that 847,000 volunteers were needed to cover 420
\ndistricts in the elections.<\/p>\n
Mulyana was referring to districts as defined by the
\ngovernment draft law on elections, deliberation on which is
\nscheduled to begin at the House of Representatives on Friday.<\/p>\n
Among others, districts based on regencies from which
\nlegislators are elected have at the most 600,000 voters.<\/p>\n
In last year's elections 124.7 million voters were registered,
\nof which 110.9 million voted. The Committee said it still had the
\nsupport of 9,000 volunteers in 47 cities and 14 provinces from
\nlast year's election and said at the most it would be able to
\ngain 50 percent of the needed 847,000 volunteers.<\/p>\n
Jakarta residents who are interested in participating as
\nvolunteers can register at KIPP's headquarters in Rawamangun,
\nEast Jakarta (Tel: 489-5982), Mulyana said.<\/p>\n
Given KIPP's limited expectations of recruiting enough
\nvolunteers, Mulyana said other independent bodies might be needed
\nto monitor the elections and also in the management of hundreds
\nof thousands of volunteers.<\/p>\n
KIPP, he said, started to recruit new volunteers last month.
\nIn Jakarta, 100 people registered within a month.<\/p>\n
Among current programs, Mulyana said, until December this year
\nKIPP, set up in 1996, was preparing educational programs for
\nvoters and studying more about political parties as part of its
\nefforts to raise public political awareness. (01)<\/p>",
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