69% of eligible voters register for polls
JAKARTA (JP): General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Rudini said on Thursday that 69 percent of eligible voters were registered for the June 7 polls, a statistic he believed disproved fears people were opposed to the event.
"Although I can already breathe a sigh of relief now, I expect the number will surpass 70 percent when the registration period ends," Rudini told a media conference after a meeting with President B.J. Habibie at Merdeka Palace.
Voter registration nationwide started on April 5 and will end on May 4, although it will be extended until mid-May in provinces such as Irian Jaya, Maluku, East Timor and Aceh which have been hit by unrest.
Rudini, a former home affairs minister, reported to the President on ongoing preparations for the elections and all tasks already executed by the commission.
During the meeting, Rudini was accompanied by his deputy Adnan Buyung Nasution, and National Elections Committee chairman Jacob Tobing and his deputy Oka Mahendra.
Coordinating Minister of Political and Security Affairs Feisal Tanjung, Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto, Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid and Minister of Justice Muladi also were on hand.
Rudini said the number of registered voters "quite impressed" him because it was enough to dispel rumors that the public was apathetic about the polls.
He also said the KPU stuck to its decision not to allow Cabinet ministers to campaign for parties contesting the polls.
"But we will give special treatment to ministers who happen to chair political parties. They can campaign provided they can take leave and the President names their temporary replacements," Rudini said.
He was referring to Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung, who is chairman of Golkar Party, and State Minister of Investment Hamzah Haz, leader of the United Development Party.
British interest
In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, British MP Mark Fisher said his country held considerable expectations that a free and fair general election would materialize in Indonesia.
The Labor MP told a workshop on the electoral code of conduct on Thursday that the way the polls were run would impact stability in Asia.
"That's why the British government and parliament provide assistance, particularly concerning political education for all elements involved in the elections," Fisher said.
He predicted Indonesia could become the third biggest democratic country after the United States and India if it succeeded in running free and fair elections.
The workshop, attended by academicians, was jointly organized by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the British Embassy and the KPU. The same workshop also has been held in Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya.
Separately, the UNDP announced on Thursday that Norway granted Indonesia an additional US$500,000 in financial aid for the elections. Through the UNDP, the country has now donated a total of $950,000.
Also on Thursday, the University Network for Free Elections (Unfrel) warned that mass rallies by party supporters in Central Java often turned violent.
Nuky Agya, chairman of Unfrel presidium in Central Java, said that political parties should refrain themselves from violence and help create a conducive climate for the elections.
He also urged parties to help prevent their supporters from taking to the streets and joining rallies because the activities violated the Election Law.
Also on Thursday, the Institute for Policy and Community Development Studies and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance published a comic on voter education titled My Choice, Your Choice, Our Choices, which is aimed at enlightening the public, especially at the grassroots level, about the next polls. (27/44/edt/rms/prb)