Scholars criticize new election speech guidelines<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government's new guidelines on election
\ncampaign speeches were criticized yesterday by scholars who
\nagreed that the need to maintain political stability prompted the
\ncontroversial rules.<\/p>\n
Riswandha Imawan of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity's School of Social and Political Sciences said the
\ndecrees were part of the government's efforts to weaken political
\norganizations, particularly Golkar's opponents.<\/p>\n
A senior researcher from the National Institute of Science,
\nIndria Samego, was less critical. He speculated that the
\ngovernment had merely lacked sufficient time to heed public
\nexpectations following a series of riots before the May 29
\nelection.<\/p>\n
The two political scientists were commenting on decrees
\nannounced by the home affairs and information ministers Tuesday
\nwhich detailed the operational rules of the electoral regulations
\nissued last November.<\/p>\n
Criticism focused on clauses allowing the government to
\nintervene in contestants' campaigns, which many believe is a
\nthinly veiled form of censorship.<\/p>\n
The rules say that all texts of campaign speeches will be
\nvetted by a government-sanctioned screening team before they are
\nmade public during the April 27 to May 23 campaign period.<\/p>\n
Riswandha said that by issuing the latest two electoral
\nregulations, the government had acted unnecessarily and might
\njeopardize a successful election.<\/p>\n
He said that in the wake of human rights criticism such
\nrestrictive electoral rules would raise eyebrows about
\nIndonesia's political stability.<\/p>\n
\"The international community may reach the conclusion that
\nIndonesia is unable to cope with a crisis after decades of
\nefforts to maintain order. This contradicts government officials'
\nrepeated statements that the country is safe and under control,\"
\nRiswandha said.<\/p>\n
He added that the government should not have preserved its
\nlong-standing suspicions of certain political groupings because
\nthey all recognize the state ideology Pancasila.<\/p>\n
\"They (political organizations) will undoubtedly only raise
\nissues which are in line with Pancasila,\" Riswandha said.<\/p>\n
The screening job will also give the election committee a
\nheadache, because it will have to examine more than 900 texts
\nfrom the three election contestants, according to Riswandha.<\/p>\n
Understandable<\/p>\n
Indria said that the government's restrictive electoral rules
\nare understandable in anticipation of a reoccurrence of the
\nviolence which rocked the country recently.<\/p>\n
\"The government doesn't risk allowing legislative candidates
\nto incite a mass mobilization while delivering their speeches,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Ethnic and sectarian riots have shaken the archipelago
\nsporadically since October, killing 14 people. The latest
\noutbreak in West Kalimantan prompted the Malaysian government to
\nclose a number of crossing points along the Sarawak-Kalimantan
\nborder.<\/p>\n
Indria labeled the government's right to screen the speeches a
\nsetback. \"The government should not worry about campaign speakers
\nas they will find it hard to persuade the public to do what they
\nask because people have grown smarter,\" Indria said.<\/p>\n
He called on the government to apply the rules without
\nexception to all three political groupings contesting the
\nelection. Golkar, the United Development Party and the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party are the only organizations that qualify for the
\nelection.<\/p>\n
\"As long as the rules work and the government plays its
\nrefereeing role consistently, I believe each political grouping
\nshould manage to make use of the campaign period effectively
\ndespite the restrictions,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Indria suggested that changes toward a more democratic
\nelection would take a long time to implement. (amd)<\/p>",
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