Police say poll violations down from 1997<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi praised
\nMonday's polls as peaceful and smooth which was better, in terms
\nof the number of violations and casualties, than the 1997
\nelections under Soeharto's New Order regime.<\/p>\n
Roesmanhadi told a news conference here on Thursday there were
\n5,618 cases of violations of election rules during Monday's
\npolls, contested by 48 parties, while there were 9,087 violations
\nwhen only three parties took part in 1997.<\/p>\n
Traffic violations during the 1999 campaigning and voting
\nnumbered 21,238 cases compared to 37,574 cases in 1997. In
\naddition, 46 people died in election-related activities in 1999
\ncompared to 327 in 1997.<\/p>\n
There were 2,749 cases of vandalism of parties' property now
\ncompared to 11,357 cases in 1997. In addition, there were 13
\ncases of vandalism of public property now compared to 727 cases
\nin 1997.<\/p>\n
\"The 1999 poll was better than the one in 1997,\" Roesmanhadi
\ntold Antara.<\/p>\n
Separately, non-governmental poll observers announced here on
\nThursday their own lists of election rules violations.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Anung of the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi)
\nsaid on Thursday that across 60 regencies in Indonesia, the
\norganization recorded violations ranging from the tampering of
\nballot boxes to shortages of ballot cards.<\/p>\n
He did not name the number of polling places observed.<\/p>\n
He cited the case in Muer village of Ropang subdistrict,
\nSumbawa Island in West Nusa Tenggara, where head of the
\nsubdistrict polling committee (PPS) was caught red-handed opening
\nballot boxes in the absence of election observers and witnesses.<\/p>\n
\"When asked what he was doing, the PPS head simply said that
\nhe was looking for official stamps which had fallen inside,\"
\nMuhammad said in a press conference at the Aryaduta hotel,
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Eye-witnesses saw the ballot cards ripped out of the official
\nenvelopes ... seals were opened by this man. Cards were laying
\naround in the boxes.\"<\/p>\n
He added that even though residents agreed on casting votes
\nagain because of the violation, the Mayoralty Elections Committee
\n(PPD II) of the area ignored the matter.<\/p>\n
Among violations concerning ballot cards was one which
\ninvolved the usage of extras obtained from the residence of the
\nAsera district head of Sulawesi Tenggara, rather than from the
\nDistrict Polling Committee (PPK) office, Anung said.<\/p>\n
At the same press conference, members of the Muslim Students
\nAssociation (HMI) claimed that violations were also detected by
\n15,000 HMI poll watchers at 15,000 polling places across 26
\nprovinces.<\/p>\n
HMI head Kholiq Muhammad stated the following:<\/p>\n
Many voters were not told by polling place officers to dip any
\nfingers in ink, in the subdistricts of Pahandut, Langkai and
\nPalangka, Pahandut district, Central Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
In the Loa Ipuh subdistrict of Tenggarong, people were seen
\nentering together into one polling booth, while members of the
\nMangkurawang PPS office visited local residents to cast ballots
\nat home.<\/p>\n
Also in Mangkurawang, Kholiq said, members of the Republican
\nParty were caught distributing sports equipment to local
\nresidents and campaigning party programs a day before the poll.<\/p>\n
In the Sei Payung subdistrict, PPS members were seen entering
\npolling booths with voters, while in Loa Kulu Kota and Tapak
\nLambur subdistricts, several ballot cards, already punched, were
\nreceived by polling place officers wrapped in newspaper.<\/p>\n
In Irian Jaya, head of the Yapen Waropen office of the
\nElection Supervisory Committee (Panwaslak) P. Saragih said on
\nThursday that 200 Aitiri villagers from Angkasera district were
\nnot able to vote in Monday's elections due to a lack of ballot
\npapers.<\/p>\n
Saragih explained the people were not registered to cast votes
\nand came to the polling places on election day.<\/p>\n
\"The 200 came with ID-cards. They were all sent home,\" Saragih
\nwas reported by local media as saying.<\/p>\n
A member of the Institute of Human Rights Studies and
\nAdvocacies in Irian Jaya also noted that in the Rapan Marey
\nvillage, Waropen Atas district, at least 14 ballot cards were
\nalready punched before the June 7 poll.<\/p>\n
\"A similar incident also happened in the Awaso village,
\nWaropen Bawah district,\" said a member of the watchdog, who told
\nThe Jakarta Post on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
In Jayapura, the Indonesian Foundation to Strengthen People's
\nParticipation and Initiatives (Yappika), an Irian Jaya non-
\ngovernmental organization, stated that 7,305 invalid ballot
\npapers were found.<\/p>\n
Yappika based its reports on the findings of 300 volunteers
\nacross 162 of the 164 polling places in Jayapura. (ylt\/34\/39)<\/p>",
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