Hasyim denies vote-buying charges<\/p>\n
Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya<\/p>\n
Vice presidential candidate Hasyim Muzadi denied on Saturday a
\nreport that his campaign workers had bribed a number of Muslim
\nclerics in East and Central Java to vote for him and presidential
\ncandidate Megawati Soekarnoputri in the July 5 election.<\/p>\n
\"It still needs verification. If it's proven to be true, we
\nwill accept responsibility,\" Hasyim, who has temporarily stepped
\naside as the chairman of the country's largest Muslim
\norganization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), said in Surabaya, East Java.<\/p>\n
Hasyim acknowledged he sometimes gave what he termed
\n\"donations\" to NU clerics, but said that he and his campaign
\nworkers had never attempted to \"buy their votes\".<\/p>\n
The East Java General Elections Commission (KPUD) revealed on
\nFriday that it was investigating a report that the clerics had
\nreceived US$10,000 each in exchange for their support for the
\nMegawati-Hasyim ticket in the July polls. The pair finished
\nsecond, and now go forward to face Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and
\nhis running mate Jusuf Kalla in the runoff in September.<\/p>\n
The election commission identified the recipients of the money
\nas Ubaidillah Faqih of Tuban, Abdul Gofur of Lamongan, Mas
\nSubadar of Pasuruan, and Idris Marzuki and Saidin Zalzuli of
\nKediri. All are from East Java.<\/p>\n
Among the clerics from Central Java who were allegedly bribed
\nare Hasbullah of Cilacap, Muntoha of Wonosobo, Zakroni of Kudus,
\nMasruri of Brebes, Maimun Zubair of Rembang, Abdul Wahid of
\nPurwodadi, and the NU's board of patrons' chairman, Sahal Mahfudz
\nof Rembang.<\/p>\n
Subadar and Ubaidillah, a son of influential cleric Abdullah
\nFaqih, are supporters of presidential candidate Wiranto and his
\npartner Solahuddin Wahid, who finished third and were therefore
\neliminated.<\/p>\n
Ubaidillah refused to respond on Saturday to reports of his
\ninvolvement in the vote-buying scandal.<\/p>\n
\"I cannot comment on this. It would be better to wait for the
\nKPU investigation,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The others could not be reached for comment on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Hasyim argued that in the NU tradition, the giving of
\n\"donations\" to clerics or Islamic boarding schools was a common
\npractice when paying them a visit.<\/p>\n
\"In NU culture, it's quite common and normal to give donations
\nto clerics. It should not be regarded as bribery,\" said Hasyim,
\nwho also heads the Al-Hikam Islamic boarding school, which has
\ncampuses in Malang, East Java, and in Depok, West Java.<\/p>\n
Separately, Minister of Industry and Trade Rini Suwandi, who
\nwas accompanying President Megawati on a visit to Sidoarjo, East
\nJava, refuted an allegation in the KPU report that her husband
\nDidi Suwandi had donated money to some clerics.<\/p>\n
According to electoral law, candidates may be charged with
\nvote-buying if they, their families or campaign workers make
\npayments in return for the votes of the recipients.<\/p>\n
The secretary of the Megawati-Hasyim campaign team in
\nSurabaya, Kusnadi, said that donations to Islamic boarding
\nschools were often given on a private basis by the ticket's
\nsupporters without any commitments being given as regards votes.<\/p>\n
\"Our total campaign funds amount to only Rp 500 million ...
\nso, we're at a loss to know where all these dollars are coming
\nfrom,\" Kusnadi told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
He claimed the report was part of a smear campaign launched by
\nMegawati's rivals -- a campaign that included the publicity
\nsurrounding the recent case of a VCD showing police favoritism
\nfor Megawati and Hasyim.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hasyim-denies-vote-buying-charges-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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