Police told to protect election whistle blowers<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The people are likely to be reluctant to report violations of
\nnext year's electoral processes, unless authorities, especially
\nthe police, provide them with physical protection.<\/p>\n
The Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP), the
\nRectors' Forum and the Supervisory Elections Committee (Panwaslu)
\nagreed over the weekend that a witness protection law was needed.<\/p>\n
\"We expect the police to protect witnesses who are willing to
\ndisclose violations of the electoral processes.<\/p>\n
\"But we cannot expect much from this \"protection\" as the
\ncountry still lacks police numbers and we still do not have a law
\non witnesses protection,\" KIPP coordinator Ray Rangkuti said over
\nthe weekend.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is scheduled to hold legislative elections in April
\n2004, and two-phased direct presidential elections in July and
\nSeptember respectively.<\/p>\n
The National Elections Commission (KPU) complained earlier
\nthat no one came forward to report alleged document forgeries by
\nindividuals aspiring for seats in the Regional Representative
\nCouncil (DPD).<\/p>\n
Ray said KIPP planned to establish crisis centers in every
\nprovince to protect and conceal the identities of those who came
\nforward to report such violations.<\/p>\n
According to him, for their own security people are not
\nexpected to disclose their identities when filing a report to
\nKIPP at crisis centers.<\/p>\n
He said KIPP volunteers would then investigate the report.
\nShould the case be brought to court they will also testify at the
\ncourt along with Panwaslu.<\/p>\n
\"It is part of our efforts to optimize our monitoring role of
\nthe elections,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ray predicted that violations would be rampant during both
\nlegislative and presidential elections and during the ballot
\ncounting.<\/p>\n
Separately, another election monitoring organization, the
\nRectors' Forum, said that it would follow the existing rulings to
\nprotect witnesses willing to report election violations.<\/p>\n
\"If the law requires us to conceal the identity of witnesses,
\nwe will do it. We will do our jobs properly,\" said Sudjana Sapi'e
\nof the Rectors' Forum.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Panwaslu said it had found difficulties in finding
\nwitnesses with the courage to testify before the committee over
\nviolations of the recent Regional Representatives Council (DPD)
\nregistration.<\/p>\n
The committee's vice chairman, Saut H. Sirait, said most
\nwitnesses were unwilling to disclose such violations out of fear
\nfor their own safety.<\/p>\n
Saut admitted that, although the committee was seeking to
\ncollaborate with a number of monitoring organizations to help
\nprotect witnesses, such collaborations were unlikely to eventuate
\ndue to a lack of funds.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, we have planned to encourage monitoring
\norganizations, rather than individuals, to report such violations
\nto the committee,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Based on this approach, witnesses would anonymously submit
\nreports to monitoring organizations. The latter would then
\nforward these to the committee and testify before the court if
\nnecessary, he said.<\/p>\n
\"However, some monitoring organizations have told me that they
\nlacked the funds to do so,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-told-to-protect-election-whistle-blowers-1447893297",
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