69% of eligible voters register for polls
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)