Observer predicts widespread poll rigging<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Systematic poll rigging by bureaucrats and the
\nmilitary to help Golkar, the government-backed contestant, will
\nremain widespread in the coming election, an observer predicted
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Alexander Irwan also dismissed fears that there will be
\nviolent disruptions of the May 29 election by people wanting to
\nvent their frustration at social injustices.<\/p>\n
Irwan, a cowriter of Election, Violations of Fair Principles,
\nabout vote rigging in the 1992 election, believes the violations
\nwould be about as numerous as five years ago.<\/p>\n
The worst violations mostly take place in polling stations
\nwhere witnesses from Golkar's rivals, the United Development
\nParty (PPP) and Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), are often
\nblocked from observing the ballot counting, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Witnesses are crucial in the ballot counting and in the past
\nthey often became a prime target of intimidation,\" Irwan told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
PPP and PDI also breached the regulations but their
\nviolations, such as removing Golkar's banners, were described as
\nunsystematic and insignificant.<\/p>\n
Golkar, PDI and PPP will compete for 425 seats in the 500-
\nmember House of Representatives. The remaining 75 seats are
\nreserved for the Armed Forces, whose members do not vote.<\/p>\n
Currently, Golkar dominates the House with 282 seats. PPP is
\nsecond with 62 seats and PDI has 56. In past elections the Armed
\nForces was granted 100 seats.<\/p>\n
Golkar, which enjoys strong backing from the bureaucracy, the
\nmilitary and business conglomerates, is looking to increase its
\nshare of the vote from 68 percent to 70 percent.<\/p>\n
According to Irwan, security and government institutions from
\nministry down to neighborhood level all but dominated the 1992
\ngeneral election.<\/p>\n
Government officials at all administrative levels, who are
\nsupposedly neutral, hold key positions in the electoral
\ninstitutions.<\/p>\n
For instance village chiefs are also Golkar activists,
\nmembers of the local election committee and the election
\nsupervision committee.<\/p>\n
\"These overlapping positions allow officials to arrange the
\nelection results,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In the past, PPP and PDI witnesses were coerced into signing
\ndeclarations on election results before the ballot counting had
\neven started, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Witnesses who refused to sign the documents were subject to
\nphysical abuses. In 1992, the most incidents were reported in
\nAceh,\" he added.<\/p>\n
In the run-up to this May's election, Irwan has noted several
\nviolations. In the central Java town of Demak, for example,
\nofficials have intimidated students to vote for Golkar.<\/p>\n
The presence of unrecognized Independent Election Monitoring
\nCommittee and possibly also foreign observers, will not
\ncontribute anything to improving this year's election quality
\nbecause violations occurred not only during ballot counting.<\/p>\n
\"Who can monitor the transport of ballot boxes, for instance,\"
\nhe said, warning that the independent watchdog activists may well
\nbe subject to physical harassment.<\/p>\n
Irwan brushed aside fears that mob violence, as has happened
\nin several places since October, might reoccur prior to the
\nelection because the government did not want it to happen and
\ndisrupt the event.<\/p>\n
He said the Indonesian middle class was not strong enough to
\nforce political change as some hope. Indonesian middle class
\npeople need the government's political protection, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, large businesses find the government policies'
\nbenefit them so they have nothing to complain about. Complaints
\nabout illegal levies and bureaucratic hurdles come from small and
\nmedium-sized businesses.\" (pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/observer-predicts-widespread-poll-rigging-1447893297",
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