Activists to take legal action in election rift
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Public opposition to the election of Sutiyoso as governor continued on Thursday with several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and student organizations planning to file a citizens lawsuit, demanding the annulment of the recent gubernatorial election.
The NGOs and students organizations that will file a citizens suit soon are Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta), Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Islam Defenders Front (FPI), Betawi Against Sutiyoso (Tebas) and Jakarta Universities' Student Executive Bodies (BEM).
"We will soon file the lawsuit at the district court. The defendants would be the council's chairmen and the election committee," Fakta chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan said.
Tigor said the suit asked the court to annul the gubernatorial election since it violated election principles and the practice of good governance.
He claimed that from the beginning of the election process, transparency, accountability and public participation as key principles of good governance were ignored by the council.
Several class action suits have been won by the public, including by consumers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and pedicab drivers. But none of them had been fully implemented.
The Alliance of Independence Journalists recently filed a citizens suit against the city administration for obstructing journalists' duty.
Separately, BEM chairman Sardi Effendy confirmed that his organization would join the NGOs in filing the lawsuit.
"Since the beginning, we have observed that the election was conducted undemocratically and was marred by money politics," Sardi told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
He viewed that the recent admission of a gubernatorial candidate that he had bribed councillors and the marking of ballot with certain codes by councillors supporting Sutiyoso as evidence of irregularities in the voting.
Last Friday, gubernatorial candidate Mahfudz Djailani admitted that he had paid Rp 200 million to 40 councillors as down payment of a total of Rp 2 billion if they elected him. He retracted his startling admission on Monday.
Councillor Audi I.Z. Tambunan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) also admitted on Tuesday that he and his colleagues in PDI Perjuangan had marked the ballot papers with a special code to conform with the party's central board directive to elect Sutiyoso.
Meanwhile, Sutiyoso's supporters grouped under the Center of Jakarta Studies (PPJ) visited the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday, demanding that the ministry install the elected governor.
However, ministry spokesman I Nyoman Sumaryadi said the installment of Sutiyoso could be canceled if there was evidence of irregularities during the election.
"If there is evidence and the court decides that the election was invalid, the installment of Sutiyoso could be canceled," Sumaryadi told reporters.