Observers differ on 1999 poll credibility<\/p>\n
Edith Hartanto and Moch N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Activists do not seem to see eye to eye when it comes to
\nassessing the 1999 election but all agree that the upcoming
\nelection has to be better.<\/p>\n
Wandy Tuturoong, Adi Abidin and Roberto Hutabarat of the Asia
\nFoundation said on Wednesday their institution had proof that the
\nelection was quite credible. But members of the General Election
\nCommission (KPU) said that it was less so.<\/p>\n
Wandy, Adi and Roberto pointed at the outstanding voter
\nturnout, tight observation of ballot transportation and
\nnonpartisan vote verification as the basis of their assessment.<\/p>\n
\"It was the first time we saw an election run well in terms of
\ndemocracy and credibility compared to those conducted during the
\nSoeharto's regime,\" Wandy said.<\/p>\n
The three experts were asked to comment on the 1999 election
\nin connection with the election bill currently being discussed at
\nthe House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The high voter turnout was the main criteria in measuring the
\n1999 poll credibility, Wandy said.<\/p>\n
The foundation data shows that 96 percent of the ballots of
\nthe 127.6 million registered voters were legitimate in the 1999
\nelection, compared to only 87 percent in the 1997 poll.<\/p>\n
\"It's incredible to see the very high turnout. People were not
\nmobilized by the government as in the previous elections (during
\nSoeharto's era),\" he said.<\/p>\n
KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti told The Jakarta Post
\nearlier this week that the 2,400 cases of unresolved election
\nviolations had reduced the 1999 poll's credibility.<\/p>\n
\"Those cases should have been dealt with, but instead they
\nwere all stuck in the Supreme Court due to various reasons,
\nincluding the law enforcers' ineptitude and the fact that the
\nlegal proceedings would take too long,\" Ramlan said.<\/p>\n
if the cases were handled properly via a special ad hoc trial
\nto speed up the process, the country would have had a much more
\ncredible 1999 poll, Ramlan argued, adding that of all the cases,
\nonly four had been resolved.<\/p>\n
Asked to comment on the issue Roberto said he agreed the cases
\nmust be resolved.<\/p>\n
The foundation also noted the result of ballots calculation
\ncarried out independently by poll watchers matched those of the
\nGeneral Election Commission (KPU).<\/p>\n
\"When we calculated 70 percent of the ballots, we found Golkar
\nparty was running second behind the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nfor Struggle (PDI Perjuangan). Many of us, who are activists,
\nwere saddened by the results, but that was the political
\nreality,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, he admitted, the foundation found a limited number of
\nviolations but they were isolated cases which did not
\nsignificantly affect the election results.<\/p>\n
Wandy said the 2004 election had to be better than the 1999
\nelection despite the foundation appraisal that 1999 poll was
\nquite credible.<\/p>\n
\"Many problems, occurring during and after the 1999 election.
\nOne of the flaws in the 1999 election law was the proportional
\nelectoral system in which people had to choose political parties
\nrather than individuals,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Roberto said that the 1999 poll used 300,000 ballot booths,
\nthe largest number in the world, while the total election
\nviolations were only about 2,400 cases.<\/p>\n
He admitted that poll observers uncovered \"dawn attacks\", the
\npractice of offering money or food to voters at dawn.<\/p>\n
But it did not deter people from choosing freely when they
\nwere in the voting booth, he said.<\/p>\n
Besides, these violations also happen in other countries
\nholding elections such as in the Scandinavian countries where
\npeople are offered vodka, he added.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, he argued, the ludicrous over-100 percent voter
\nturnout common during the Soeharto's years had significantly
\ndecreased.<\/p>\n
It also means that monitoring by poll observers to guard
\nballots boxes up to the provincial level had successfully
\nminimized any ballot manipulation, he added.<\/p>\n
The Asia Foundation was one of the facilitators of the 1999
\npoll-observer activity in the country.<\/p>\n
A total of 48 political parties took part in the 1999 poll; 21
\nof them won seats in the legislative body. The remaining parties
\nonly gained 6.3 percent but it was not enough to get any seats.<\/p>\n
Many agreed that the 1999 poll was the most democratic
\nelection over the past four decades.<\/p>\n
Wandy urged legislators to heed people's demand to produce a
\nbetter election law in a bid to provide ground rules for direct
\nelections of the president and legislators and the formation of
\nan autonomous KPU.<\/p>\n
Legislators seem to have ignored those demands and progress in
\nthe election bill deliberation appears sluggish, as they claim
\nthey have to wait for the planned amendment to the 1945
\nConstitution in August.<\/p>",
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