Smaller parties threatened over plan to reject polls<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): Minor parties are finding it an uphill
\nchallenge in their last-ditch effort to survive as the Election
\nSupervisory Committee threatened on Tuesday to charge them with
\ndisrupting the poll process for their plan not to endorse the
\npoll results.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the East Java official poll watchdog, Imam
\nSukarno, said leaders of the minor parties would face five years
\nimprisonment if they went ahead with their move.<\/p>\n
\"If these people do not stop agitating others to reject the
\npolls, they will risk serving a jail sentence,\" an upset Imam
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He was referring to General Election Law No. 3 issued early
\nthis year, which says that a person who is found guilty of
\ncausing disorder to, preventing or disrupting the poll process by
\nintent is sentenced to a maximum of five years imprisonment.<\/p>\n
Chapter leaders of 23 parties registered in the province have
\npledged to reject the polls unless the Election Supervisory
\nCommittee takes firm measures against parties violating the
\nelection rule and the General Elections Commission (KPU) lifts a
\nstipulation which bans a party with votes of less than 2 percent
\nfrom the next elections.<\/p>\n
Local chairman of the United Party (PP) Andi Suherman led the
\nlast-ditch survival move, which could foil the Provincial
\nElection Committee from announcing the final tally of the votes.
\nResults of a poll are legitimate upon approval of at least two-
\nthirds of the parties contesting the election.<\/p>\n
With the nation-wide vote tabulation coming to a finale, less
\nthan 10 parties are likely to meet the minimum requirement of
\nvotes to contest the 2004 elections. Opposition to the ruling has
\nbeen on the rise across the country, with the boycott serving as
\na last resort to forcing the KPU to change its mind.<\/p>\n
The East Java electoral committee is waiting for a report from
\nSumenep regency counterpart to wrap up tabulation of the votes in
\nthe province.<\/p>\n
Imam denied allegations that the agency he chairs lacked
\ninitiative in handling reports of violations or had left them
\nunnoticed.<\/p>\n
\"Their (the small parties') allegations are untrue. Just to
\nshow how serious we are, we have reported some suspects to the
\npolice,\" Imam said without further elaboration.<\/p>\n
In Purwokerto, Central Java, some 200 students from several
\nuniversities staged a rally to reject the polls. The students,
\ngrouped as the Indonesian People's United Struggle Movement
\n(KAPRI), doubted the legitimacy of the polls due to the sweeping
\nrange of violations, particularly outside Java.<\/p>\n
The group circulated thousands of leaflets suggesting people
\nto follow in their footsteps and demand the establishment of a
\nnew transitional government and a dismissal of the military's
\nsociopolitical role.<\/p>\n
Violations<\/p>\n
Research conducted by the Airlangga University in cooperation
\nwith USAID since May 14 found that 580 election-related
\nviolations took place in East Java. The offenses ranged from
\nintimidation to attack of party symbols.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
\nsupporters topped the list with 235 violations, followed by those
\nof National Awakening Party (PKB) with 156 cases. Both parties
\nhave won more than half of the 68 House of Representatives seats
\non offer in the province so far, according to the KPU calculation
\nas of Monday.<\/p>\n
Research coordinator Aribowo said most violations by PKB
\nsupporters occurred in areas dubbed its strongholds, particularly
\nMadura, an island off the province.<\/p>\n
In Bandung, the Rectors Forum, a non-governmental poll
\nwatchdog, said the Election Supervisory Committee did not need to
\ninvestigate violations which reportedly happened in the eight
\nprovinces.<\/p>\n
\"Basically we found nothing extraordinary that indicated any
\nmalfeasance in the provinces. If there were any, our volunteers
\nwould have disclosed it,\" the forum executive director Sudjana
\nSapi'ie said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He instead questioned the sluggish performance of poll
\norganizers, whom the forum volunteers said had slowed down the
\nprocess of votes tabulation.<\/p>\n
\"Our volunteers found many of the poll committee workers did
\nnothing. Our early presumption was that they were not well paid,\"
\nSudjana said.<\/p>\n
The Election Supervisory Committee announced on Monday it
\nwould continue investigation of violations in South Kalimantan,
\nBengkulu, North, South and Southeast Sulawesi, West and East Nusa
\nTenggara plus Maluku.(43\/45\/nur\/amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/smaller-parties-threatened-over-plan-to-reject-polls-1447893297",
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