Government to repeat voting at 111 polling stations in Madura<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In an unprecedented move, the government
\nacquiesced yesterday to the United Development Party's (PPP)
\ndemand for a repeat of voting at 111 polling stations on Madura
\nisland, East Java.<\/p>\n
General Elections Institute Secretary-General Suryatna Subrata
\nsaid Thursday's voting in the area was disrupted due to a
\n\"security disturbance\".<\/p>\n
He did not admit it but his statement was an indirect denial
\nof previous reports that residents of Sampang and Pamekasan
\nregencies were so outraged by blatant poll rigging that they
\nrioted, causing a great deal of destruction, before demanding
\nfresh polling.<\/p>\n
The repeat balloting will be held on Tuesday in 86 sites in
\nSampang and another 35 in Pamekasan at the request of their
\nrespective district election committee chiefs.<\/p>\n
It will be the first repeat voting ever under the New Order
\ngovernment, which held its first election in 1971. Thursday's
\npolls were the seventh since Indonesia gained independence in
\n1945.<\/p>\n
The vote counting is expected to be completed on Thursday, and
\nthe official results will be announced on June 17.<\/p>\n
Suryatna reiterated that vote-rigging allegations lodged by
\nPPP supporters were behind the decision to repeat the balloting.<\/p>\n
\"Those district election committee chiefs took the initiative
\nto repeat the voting because of the disrupted balloting on
\nThursday,\" Suryatna said.<\/p>\n
A 1996 ministerial decree issued by Minister of Home
\nAffairs\/Chairman of the General Elections Institute Moch. Yogie
\nS.M. authorizes district election committee chiefs to repeat
\nvoting without having to seek the institute's approval.<\/p>\n
Thousands of PPP supporters went on the rampage in Sampang,
\nPamekasan and Sumenep Thursday over perceived vote-rigging to
\nhelp Golkar win on the predominantly Moslem island.<\/p>\n
Police arrested 15 people and shot two rioters with rubber
\nbullets after they attacked Golkar offices, government and other
\nbuildings, and torched cars and motorcycles. Local PPP officials
\nclaimed that 11 people were wounded, four of them suffering
\nserious injuries.<\/p>\n
A delegation of PPP figureheads in the Madura towns met with
\nthe party leadership earlier yesterday to report violations that
\nhad occurred during polling.<\/p>\n
\"We want the government to repeat the balloting after we found
\nnumerous irregularities,\" Sumli Sadly, PPP's East Java chief
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said cheating allegations had also made PPP leaders in the
\nother Madura regencies of Bangkalan and Sumenep refuse to sign
\nthe poll results. They have yet to decide whether they will
\nfollow in the footsteps of their Sampang and Pamekasan
\ncolleagues.<\/p>\n
PPP Sampang office secretary Hasan Asy'ari said the election
\nviolations included multiple voting by a regent assistant and his
\nfamily. He said PPP supporters caught the family red-handed and
\ntook them to a nearby district office.<\/p>\n
Madura's influential religious leader, Alawy Muhammad, accused
\nlocal government officials of committing the irregularities.<\/p>\n
\"They always blame the riots on a third party, but it is they
\nwho cause them,\" Alawy said.<\/p>\n
PPP deputy chairman Jusuf Syakir said that a team comprising
\nparty secretary-general Tosari Wijaya, his deputy Bachtiar
\nHamsyah and another party deputy chairman Zain Bedjeber would
\nleave for Madura today for a fact-finding mission.<\/p>\n
Suryatna said that the institute welcomed any protests of
\nirregularities, and would relay them to the Election Supervision
\nCommittee.<\/p>\n
However, he regretted many reports of alleged violations had
\nbeen delivered to party leaderships and the press instead of the
\ninstitute.<\/p>\n
\"They (protesters) want to encourage an opinion that the
\nelection has been marred by a lot of cheating,\" said Suryatna.<\/p>\n
East Java police chief Maj. Gen. Sumarsono said yesterday that
\norder had been restored in Sampang and Pamekasan. Daily life had
\nreturned to normal, although many shops were closed and security
\nforces were still on alert. (amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-to-repeat-voting-at-111-polling-stations-in-madura-1447893297",
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