Polls may rival cheating of the past: Observer<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): This year's general election will greatly
\nresemble those in the past in terms of cheating attributable to
\npolitical groups defending the status quo, an observer predicts.<\/p>\n
And to make things worse, there are lots of technical
\nshortcomings ranging from the government's make-shift
\npreparations for the elections to the limited monitoring by
\nindependent watchdogs, which all open up opportunities for
\ncheats.<\/p>\n
"I'm afraid there will be no fair play in the elections. The
\nsituation now is no different from that under the New Order,"
\nnoted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis told The Jakarta Post on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Todung coordinates the University Network for Free and Fair
\nElections (Unfrel), one of the three biggest local election
\nmonitoring groups along with the Independent Commission for
\nElection Monitoring (KIPP) and the University Forum.<\/p>\n
Todung said there had been obvious unfairness occurring in the
\npublic eye but beyond the reach of the law even before the race
\nbegan.<\/p>\n
"There have been reports about village bureaucrats who turn
\naway certain people applying for identity cards, claiming there
\nis a shortage of application forms," Todung said.<\/p>\n
Scheduled for June 7, the elections are restricted to
\nIndonesians aged 17 or above. They must show ID cards when they
\nregister themselves between March 18 and April 17 for the polls.
\nSome provincial administrations, including West Java and North
\nSumatra, have pledged themselves to provide a one-day service for
\nID card applicants and exempt them from fees.<\/p>\n
Todung said the starkest evidence of unfairness was in the
\nabsence of sanctions in the newly passed Elections Law for
\nCabinet ministers who campaign for Golkar while on official
\ntours.<\/p>\n
"The issue was overlooked when everybody demanded a ban on
\ncivil servants holding executive posts in political parties," he
\nsaid, recalling deliberation of the election bill in the House of
\nRepresentatives.<\/p>\n
"Cabinet ministers are not civil servants, so they can argue
\nthey do no wrong before the law with their campaigning
\nactivities," Todung added.<\/p>\n
Minister of Tourism, Art and Culture Marzuki Usman was the
\nlatest to come under fire when he reportedly attended a Golkar
\nrally during his official visit to Jambi on Tuesday. He contested
\nthe allegations on Wednesday, saying he had behaved like the
\nUnited States President Bill Clinton, who drops by to meet
\nDemocratic constituents while on trips.<\/p>\n
Todung also said there was a possibility of excessive use of
\nmoney by Golkar to win the elections, but it could not be
\nregarded as an offense because the present election law limits
\nonly financial aid to be given to a political party.<\/p>\n
Golkar, winner of the past six elections, has at least Rp 17
\nbillion (US$1.9 million) it amassed during the New Order, making
\nit financially the strongest party.<\/p>\n
Despite the worries about the potential for blatant cheating,
\nTodung admitted that the poll watchdogs would have little effect
\non the validity of the elections.<\/p>\n
"Unlike their counterparts in the Philippines, poll watchdogs
\nhere play a peripheral role in the elections. Not only because
\nthey cannot act as witnesses, but because they also have no right
\nto protest against violations," Todung said.<\/p>\n
Only poll contestants have the right to protest, but their
\ncomplaints about the proceedings of the elections and reports of
\nviolations discovered by the official election monitoring body
\nwill not annul the outcome of the polls, according to the law.<\/p>\n
The law also says that the 53-strong Elections Committee (KPU)
\nneeds only two-thirds of signatories to endorse the results.<\/p>\n
Todung said that with Unfrel expecting to recruit 150,000
\nvolunteers and hundreds of thousands more from the KIPP and the
\nUniversity Forum, the independent monitoring groups would be able
\nto watch over most of some 270,000 polling booths nationwide.<\/p>\n
"We just hope that the Elections Committee will allow us to
\nkeep a copy of the balloting report from each polling booth,"
\nTodung said. Once established, the KPU will draw up a code of
\nconduct to cover those involved in the elections.<\/p>\n
Todung said the United Nations Development Program had pledged
\n$15 million in aid to help local poll watchdogs undertake their
\njobs. More assistance is expected from USAID, which has yet to
\ndetail the amount.<\/p>\n
"We may need more funds, because we have to provide our posts
\nnationwide with computers," he said. The UNDP has agreed to
\nprovide each post with a computer, far below Todung's estimate of
\nnine.<\/p>\n
Another headache for the poll watchdogs is the fact that they
\nare pressed for time to make their volunteers ready for their
\nmonitoring jobs.<\/p>\n
"We are preoccupied with organizational matters, while we
\nshould have started training our volunteers," he said.<\/p>\n
When asked about Golkar retaining its supremacy given the many
\nloopholes standing between the reform agenda and free and just
\nelections, Todung was silent for a while.<\/p>\n
"Golkar has a great chance of winning again, but we at least
\nhope for more democratic general elections to come in the next
\nfive years," he said. (amd)<\/p>",
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