Police told to focus on five big parties<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Election Supervisory Committee suggested on
\nThursday that security forces focus their job on the five
\npolitical parties with the best chance to win at the polls.<\/p>\n
Mulyana W. Kusumah, deputy chairman of the committee, told The
\nJakarta Post that executives of the official poll watch would
\npresent the proposal in a meeting with National Police and the
\nNational Elections Committee on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The meeting, the first to involve the three institutions, will
\ndeal with measures to curb violence and other violations in the
\nremaining election stages.<\/p>\n
Mulyana identified the parties as the ruling Golkar,
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
\nNational Awakening Party (PKB), United Development Party (PPP)
\nand National Mandate Party (PAN).<\/p>\n
\"I think the best possible way (to curb conflict and violence
\nduring the poll process) is for the security forces to focus on
\nthe big five. They have a huge number of supporters who are
\nevident to be vulnerable to clashes,\" Mulyana, who is also
\nsecretary-general of the Independent Election Monitoring
\nCommittee (KIPP), said.<\/p>\n
Repeated election-related violence flared up among the parties
\nrecently, with PDI Perjuangan supporters mostly fighting their
\nGolkar counterparts and PKB supporters in a grassroots battle
\nwith bitter rivals from PPP. At least 10 people were killed in
\nthe political conflict.<\/p>\n
Mulyana warned that Golkar could fall victim to further
\nviolence due to the intensifying campaign by certain parties
\nlabeling the ruling party as \"the common enemy\", and could thus
\ndeserve punishment.<\/p>\n
\"This situation is dangerous because nonpartisan people may
\njoin in the move and this could spark mass violence,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The opposition movement against Golkar has stepped up a gear
\nafter three reform parties, PDI Perjuangan, PKB and PAN, signed a
\njoint-communique to fight the \"status quo force\" earlier this
\nweek.<\/p>\n
Mulyana said hostility between supporters of PKB and PPP
\nneeded extra monitoring, so did PAN supporters who had recently
\nfallen prey to violence in several areas in Central Java.<\/p>\n
Apart from monitoring violations, the committee will try its
\nbest to enforce the election rules, according to Mulyana.<\/p>\n
\"But it's hard to do so because all parties have breached the
\nrules,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier, his colleague, Todung Mulya Lubis, complained that
\nthe committee failed to impose punishments on errant parties, due
\nto fears that this would only spark anger.<\/p>\n
Electoral violations carry a maximum sentence of a five-year
\nimprisonment and maximum fines worth Rp 10 million (US$1,250).
\nThe heaviest offenses include faking registration cards,
\ndisrupting the polls, counterfeiting documents of legislative
\ncandidates, multiple voting and vote rigging.<\/p>\n
Fines would be imposed on negligent polling committee
\nofficials and people who exceed the maximum financial assistance
\nfor a party. Organizations and individuals are allowed to
\ncontribute no more than Rp 150 million and Rp 10 million
\nrespectively.<\/p>\n
The official poll watchdog is entitled to bar a party from
\nholding electoral rallies under an offense.<\/p>\n
In Bogor, West Java, thousands of PDI Perjuangan supporters
\nheld a street rally across the town with convoys of motorcycles,
\ncars and trucks, despite an earlier agreement that a party was
\nnot allowed to mobilize its mass from one district to another.
\n(edt\/24)<\/p>",
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