Aceh electorate must have free and fair vote

Aceh electorate must have free and fair vote

Sam Zarifi, New York

Come Monday, most of Indonesia's 150 million registered voters
will be able to cast (or not cast) their ballots in a relatively
peaceful environment. Indonesians should be proud that they have
reached yet another major political and logistical milestone on
their road to full democracy.

But it is a shame that Indonesians living in Aceh will not be
able to share in the joy and pride of freely participating in a
legitimate election. The ongoing armed conflict in the province
was downgraded in May from a military to a civilian emergency,
but little has changed on the ground. Fighting continues and
restrictions on access remain in place.

The majority of the population continues to live in fear, with
widespread reports of killings, torture and disappearances.
Local, national, and international media remains severely
restricted in their ability to report impartially, or critically,
on either the conflict or the election in Aceh.

Ensuring that the people of Aceh can vote Monday would be a
significant step in getting away from the province's seemingly
intractable conflict. Establishing a pattern of respect for
peaceful and democratic decisionmaking is the only way likely to
end the bloodshed in Aceh.

Because, although largely forgotten in the political rhetoric
by all presidential candidates, the conflict in Aceh, and how to
end it, will be one of the most pressing and difficult tasks the
newly elected president will have to tackle.

Security has improved in Aceh's main towns, but conditions in
the outlying districts are far from stable. Press reports
indicate a high, almost daily, level of fighting with fatalities
recorded every week. Refugees continue to flee to Malaysia with
stories of extrajudicial executions, serious abuse, arbitrary
detention, and restrictions on movement.

In April this year newspapers reported that the turnout at the
polls in Aceh was a staggering 95 percent -- a figure high for
even the most peaceful and prosperous of Indonesia's provinces.
The Military (TNI) claimed this as a vindication of its hearts
and minds campaign. But it is equally (if not more) likely that
this high voting rate demonstrates at least in part the
military's ability to intimidate the population into voting.
Meanwhile, it seems clear that the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has
been doing its best to force the local population to boycott the
elections. Civilians were trapped either way.

Both the Indonesian government and GAM should make a public
commitment to declaring and enforcing a cease-fire for at least
the day of the election. Voters should be allowed to make their
own choice as to whether or not to participate in the election,
and be able to do so in a secure and peaceful environment.

Creating an environment conducive to an election is one marker
for a free and fair vote. Another is the presence of independent
observers. Unfortunately, access to Aceh for election observers
remains severely restricted. During Indonesia's April legislative
elections in Aceh, EU election observers were only allowed into
the province at the last minute, were unable to observe either
the opening or closing of polling stations, and were unable to
travel much outside the main towns without military escorts.

Under these circumstances no assessment was possible of the
security of ballot papers, or ballot boxes, either before or
after the vote. EU observers were also ushered out of Aceh sooner
than their counterparts in other provinces. Some embassies who
sent representatives to Aceh for the election encountered similar
problems.

Long and short term access to Aceh both before and after the
July election will be essential to assess the validity and
climate of the vote in the province. In particular, if the
Presidential election indeed goes to a second round stand off
between two candidates in September, the potential for political
violence, intimidation and mobilization will increase. In case of
a runoff, it is crucial to place long term observers throughout
Aceh during the intermediate July to September period.

The media, another essential check on mischief by the
government and GAM, has suffered the same restrictions on access
as other independent monitors in Aceh. Journalists have been
regularly intimidated and threatened, by both Indonesian security
forces and GAM, over critical coverage of the conflict since the
war began in May 2003.

Restrictions, intimidation and threats against all media
should cease immediately. A free and independent press is a key
indicator for the success or otherwise of an election. Failure to
do so will throw the credibility of the vote into question.

A valid election in Aceh will be an important test for
democracy in Indonesia. National elections can not exclude
specific provinces. A failure to hold free and fair elections in
Aceh will be a failure to provide Indonesian citizens with their
basic right to political participation.

The writer is Deputy Director for Asia, Human Rights Watch.