NGOs can help monitor polls<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government yesterday displayed efforts to
\nhold a fair general election in 1997 by asking officials of the
\nelection monitoring committee not to campaign for any
\ncontestants.<\/p>\n
Head of the newly-established National General Elections
\nMonitoring Committee Singgih called on committee members not to
\nbe partisan during the election.<\/p>\n
\"How can a member monitor the general elections objectively if
\nhe also campaigns for his party?\" Singgih said in a preliminary
\nmeeting with committee members.<\/p>\n
The monitoring committee for general elections is manned by
\ntop government officials as well as representatives of the three
\npolitical contestants -- the ruling Golkar, the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party
\n(PDI).<\/p>\n
In the past general elections, most of the government
\nofficials also campaigned for Golkar.<\/p>\n
In another part of his address, Singgih said that non-
\ngovernmental and independent organizations can help the official
\ncommittee in monitoring all stages of the general elections.<\/p>\n
\"Any non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can help monitor
\nall stages of the 1997 general elections,\" Singgih said.<\/p>\n
Singgih, who is also the Attorney General, pointed out that
\nonly the official committee, installed by President Soeharto in
\nDecember, has the authority to take action against violators.<\/p>\n
Among the 16 members of the committee are Lt. Gen. Mohamad
\nMa'ruf and Maj. Gen. Arie J. Kumaat from the Armed Forces (ABRI),
\nand Abdul Gafur and Agung Laksono from Golkar.<\/p>\n
Others include Yudo Paripurno and Tosari Widjaja of the PPP,
\nPanangian Siregar and Ismunandar of the PDI, and A. Hamid Effendi
\nand Suko Martono from the government.<\/p>\n
Singgih's remarks came after a number of NGOs and legal aid
\ninstitutes established an independent poll monitoring committee
\nin Bandung last week.<\/p>\n
The committee, made up of student activists, youths and public
\nfigures, vowed to independently monitor all stages of the general
\nelections, from the registration procedure to the final ballot
\ncounting.<\/p>\n
Committee<\/p>\n
One of the founders of the committee, Effendi Saman, had said
\nan independent committee was needed because past elections were
\nall marred by fraud, particularly during the ballot counting
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
The independent committee claimed that it will take both legal
\nand political action if violations still occur in the 1997
\ngeneral elections.<\/p>\n
Saman said the activists would establish similar committees
\nacross the country.<\/p>\n
Singgih said that independent committees could hold its own
\nmonitoring activities, but would not be able to interfere with
\nthe formal committee's policy and programs.<\/p>\n
\"We will accept all the input from the NGOs and the public
\nregarding violations in the general elections,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also declined accusations that reports of violation and
\nmanipulation during the previous general elections were not
\nfollowed up with legal actions.<\/p>\n
\"All of the dossiers on violation and manipulation have been
\nsubmitted to the police,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Singgih disclosed that all of the three contestants committed
\neither traffic or disciplinary violations during the 1992 general
\nelections.<\/p>\n
He said that PPP with 1,241 campaign rallies committed 183
\nviolations, Golkar in its' 3,628 campaign rallies committed 107
\nviolations, and PDI committed 213 violations in its' 893 rallies.
\n(imn)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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