Who's afraid of KIPP?<\/p>\n
Anyone concerned with the well being and unity of Indonesia
\nshould be concerned about the current political situation,
\nparticularly with regard to the election issue. Ever since the
\nIndependent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) was established
\nlast month, mounting turmoil has beset the country's politics.<\/p>\n
Practically no day has passed without contradictory remarks
\nabout this election watchdog coming from different officials,
\nadding confusion to the turmoil. There is no question that there
\nis a sharp difference of opinion among government officials
\nconcerning the establishment of the poll monitoring committee.
\nAnd in the last few days the hardliners have gained the upper
\nhand. Comments such as: \"We don't need an election watchdog\", or
\n\"We have to be vigilant against those who want to disrupt the
\nelection\", are heard more often than other softer remarks.<\/p>\n
All these things obviously have confused the public, and may
\noverheat the political situation. What we are most concerned
\nabout is the growing tendency among the anti-KIPP parties to
\nresort to harassment, and even force, to express their animosity
\ntoward the poll monitoring body. There are also efforts to
\nindulge in character assassination by calling the leaders of the
\ncommittee \"people with problems\".<\/p>\n
In Medan, North Sumatra, for example, scores of unidentified
\npeople pelted the local legal aid office with stones last Sunday
\nwhen a number of pro-democratic activists were having a meeting
\nto establish a branch office for the election watchdog, forcing
\nthem to abandon their plan.<\/p>\n
We don't know what will happen next, but if this trend goes
\nunchecked, and if certain government officials continue to
\ntacitly endorse this harassment tactic, then the situation could
\nturn nasty. Disunity could set in, with the people splitting into
\ndifferent camps and fighting against each other<\/p>\n
And suppose something bad happened. It is likely that the
\nmembers of the committee would be charged as the culprits and
\npunished for their perceived faults.<\/p>\n
We believe that what has happened so far is an indication that
\nmany people here still don't understand the essence of democracy,
\nwhich is respecting differences of opinion. They will always
\nconsider those who don't share ideas similar to theirs as
\nenemies, and will treat them accordingly. Of course it is
\nsaddening, but one does have to admit that these people are
\nproducts of our current political system.<\/p>\n
One could surmise that all of us should understand that the
\nConstitution guarantees freedom of expression and freedom to
\nassemble. Thus, for a layman it is mind boggling that anyone
\nwould consider setting up an independent poll watchdog
\nunconstitutional.<\/p>\n
The strong opposition to the independent poll monitoring
\ncommittee has left many wondering why certain people are wary of
\nsuch a watchdog? The argument that this organization, or other
\npoll watchdogs for that matter, will interfere in the election
\nmechanism, is groundless.<\/p>\n
Logic tells us that it is unlikely that anyone who is not a
\nmember of the official Election Supervision Committee will be
\nallowed to watch or intervene in the election process. And we are
\nafraid that if the Independent Election Monitoring Committee is
\ncontinuously harassed, people may think, or be led to think, that
\nthere is, indeed, something in the election process that is
\nhidden from public knowledge, either some kind of vote rigging,
\nor ballot manipulation.<\/p>\n
Is there really a possibility that the existence of the
\nindependent monitoring committee will disrupt the election
\nprocess, or cause security problems? We doubt it. With its
\nlimited capability, it is impossible for an independent poll
\nwatchdog, such as KIPP, to recruit enough people to monitor all
\nof the thousands of polling booths. The independent committee's
\nstrongest point is its ability to develop its image as an
\nindependent entity, which wants to have a freer and fairer
\nelection.<\/p>\n
We are also very much in doubt that this committee would be
\nable to develop into a kind of people's power movement at the
\npresent, because it remains a middle-class phenomenon. The only
\nthing that might justify uneasiness among the powers that be is
\nthe fact that the establishment of this independent poll
\nmonitoring body means that for the first time in history almost
\nall pro-democracy parties here have found a common platform.<\/p>\n
In short, we have to be wise in dealing with the matter of
\nthis poll watchdog. The growing number of people who wish to
\nenjoy more democracy and transparency should be treated with
\nwisdom, otherwise stronger and stronger rumbles will be heard.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/whos-afraid-of-kipp-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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