Panwaslu clears police in another poll bias case<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post\/Medan<\/p>\n
The North Sumatra Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) said
\non Thursday -- after questioning only two of some 40 students
\nwitnesses -- that it would discontinue its investigation of the
\nMedan Police over charges of partiality ahead of the election.<\/p>\n
The committee refused to hear the testimonies of other
\nstudents who attended a meeting on July 24, during which police
\nallegedly asked them to back the incumbent, President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri in next month's runoff.<\/p>\n
Panwaslu had earlier claimed that two students, identified
\nonly by their initials H and S, had gone missing after revealing
\nthe partiality case to the media, as they failed to answer its
\nsummonses.<\/p>\n
However, the report was denied on Thursday by Safrizal, a
\nmember of the Indonesian Muslim Student Movement (PMII), who said
\nthe students did not flee, nor tried to evade Panwaslu's
\nquestioning.<\/p>\n
\"They are currently in Medan and in good shape. They were not
\nthe victims of intimidation,\" Safrizal told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He said H and S were ready to comply with Panwaslu's
\nsummonses, should the committee call on other students who
\nattended the meeting to testify.<\/p>\n
\"H and S will appear before Panwaslu members if they are
\nsummoned through an official letter, unlike the case so far,
\nwhich has seen them summoned via cell phone calls,\" Safrizal
\nadded.<\/p>\n
However, deputy chairman of the North Sumatra Panwaslu Jannes
\nHutahaen said it was too late for H and S to testify, arguing
\nthat the probe into the partiality case was already closed.<\/p>\n
The committee no longer needed additional statements from
\nwitnesses after questioning on Monday Syamsuddin Tarigan and Oka
\nAlam Syahputra, who were both at the meeting, he said.<\/p>\n
Jannes said that based on the testimonies of Tarigan and Oka
\n-- as well as Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Bagus and intelligence
\nunit deputy chief Adj. Comr. I Gusti KB Harry Sara -- Panwaslu
\nsaid the evidence was not enough to show that the Medan Police
\nmobilized student support for the Megawati-Hasyim ticket.<\/p>\n
Similarly, another Panwaslu member Yulhasni argued that his
\noffice had several times summoned H and S for questioning, but to
\nno avail.<\/p>\n
\"If they want to testify, it's too late. The case is already
\nclosed,\" he said.<\/p>\n
H and S had revealed that the July 24 meeting, organized by
\nMegawati-Hasyim's campaign team member Arwin Harahap at the
\nGaruda restaurant in Medan -- along with local police officers --
\nwas designed to mobilize support for the President.<\/p>\n
At the forum, according to H and S, police officers indirectly
\nencouraged the 40 students there to vote for a civilian
\ncandidate.<\/p>\n
Megawati is set to challenge her former chief security
\nminister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired Army general who was
\nthe front-runner in the first round of the presidential election.<\/p>\n
Sr. Comr. Andi Mapparesa was removed as Banyumas Police chief
\nin Central Java, after he made a speech that appeared to be in
\nsupport of Megawati's candidacy.<\/p>\n
Questions were also asked of the Yogyakarta Police when
\nthousands of T-shirts bearing Megawati's picture were found at
\npolice headquarters.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/panwaslu-clears-police-in-another-poll-bias-case-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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