Activists to take legal action in election rift

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.