Tension rises in Sampang as revote plan rejected<\/p>\n
By Ainur Sophiaan<\/p>\n
SAMPANG, East Java (JP): Tension increased here yesterday when
\nUnited Development Party (PPP) officials, backed by Moslem
\nulemas, rejected a government plan to repeat voting tomorrow in
\n86 polling stations.<\/p>\n
They stuck to their demand that the government rerun balloting
\nin all of Sampang regency's 1,035 polling stations where, they
\nclaim, the election was rigged.<\/p>\n
East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman said the government would
\nonly repeat voting in 86 stations where ballot papers were
\ndestroyed in a riot which began hours after voting finished in
\nthe May 29 election.<\/p>\n
Fear is growing that the stalemate will cause more riots. The
\nrevote was originally scheduled for yesterday but, for security
\nreasons, the government postponed it until tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Thousands of PPP supporters vandalized or torched government
\noffices, the local Golkar headquarters, over 100 ballot boxes and
\ndozens of civil servants' homes on election night. Fifteen people
\nwere arrested and two were wounded by rubber bullets.<\/p>\n
PPP supporters in Sampang said government officials, who back
\nGolkar, counted ballots in the subdistrict chief's office without
\nPPP scrutineers.<\/p>\n
Sporadic riots also broke out in Pamekasan and Sumenep. The
\npredominantly Moslem island of Madura is a PPP stronghold.<\/p>\n
The PPP decided to demand a revote in all 1,035 polling
\nstations in a meeting attended by party secretary-general Tosari
\nWidjaya and two influential ulemas, Alawy Muhammad and Cholid
\nBusyairi.<\/p>\n
Tosari, who hails from Madura, is heading a PPP team to
\ninvestigate vote-rigging.<\/p>\n
The PPP Sampang branch's deputy secretary, Djakfar, told The
\nJakarta Post that his party would not back down on its demand for
\na revote.<\/p>\n
\"In reality, voting in the whole regency was rigged. It's
\nimpossible for us to accept the results that the government
\nannounced,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sampang regent Fadhilah Budiono said he had made all the
\nnecessary preparations for the revote. Eligible voters had been
\nsent notification cards.<\/p>\n
The regent has asked the PPP to provide scrutineers at the 86
\npolling stations. But he conceded that the party had made it
\nclear it would not do anything unless revoting was held across
\nthe whole regency.<\/p>\n
New polling stations have been set up in subdistricts worst
\nhit by the riot. They include Sampang city, Kedungndung and
\nJrengik.<\/p>\n
Police and soldiers were deployed in the tense streets of
\nSampang yesterday but no incidents were reported.<\/p>\n
Tosari refused to comment on the situation yesterday.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, governor Basofi Soedirman stressed that revoting
\nwould only go ahead in Sampang, not in other areas.<\/p>\n
\"If voting is repeated in all areas where poll rigging is
\nsuspected, the election will never end,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The PPP, through its functionaries and Moslem ulemas, has
\ncalled for a revote in other regencies, such as Jember, Ponorogo,
\nMagetan, Sumenep, Bangkalan and Pamekasan.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tension-rises-in-sampang-as-revote-plan-rejected-1447893297",
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