Bad ballots may blemish legislative election: Cetro

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The legislative election is liable to mistakes that could end up with ballot papers being declared invalid and thus not counted, the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) says.

Cetro executive director Smita Notosusanto said here on Tuesday that many people, notably first-time voters, did not understand clearly the procedure for the new electoral system, to be implemented in the 2004 elections.

The conclusion, according to Smita, was drawn from the results of mock elections Cetro organized in nine cities across the country, involving 5,400 volunteers.

Smita disclosed that as many as 33.1 percent of ballot papers were declared invalid, as volunteers participating in the mock election voted erroneously.

"The people were confused because the ballot papers and the procedures to vote were more complicated," Smita said.

Under the existing election law, a voter must choose either a political party or a political party and the name of a legislative candidate. A voter who chooses a legislative candidate only, or a political party and a legislative candidate from a different party would have his vote declared invalid and thus not counted.

"Many people marked the symbol of a political party and a legislative candidate from a different party," Smita said.

As for the elections for the president and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), the error rates were 6.8 percent and 8.2 percent respectively.

Smita called on the General Elections Commission (KPU) to provide voters with clear information on voting procedure.

She emphasized that the KPU should provide voter education immediately as part of its program to introduce the new electoral system for the 2004 elections.

Indonesia is scheduled to hold a legislative election in April 2004 and two-stage presidential elections in July and September respectively.

Fellow Cetro activist Hadar N. Gumay said the KPU should provide voter education to prevent confusion among voters because that would reduce the quality of the elections.

"The ballot papers must be valid. If the number of invalid ballot papers is high, the legitimacy of the election would be called into question," he said.

Hadar said that during a series of simulations, his team had provided voters with a short briefing on some issues, including the new electoral system, the format of ballot papers and voting procedure.

Heppy Sebayang, who has been campaigning for the access of disabled people with mobility problems to the general election, suggested that the KPU set up polling booths that would allow such people to cast their vote.

Heppy suggested that KPU should also produce Braille ballot papers so that blind people could vote without the need for a companion.

The mock elections were held from Sept. 19 through Oct. 12 in nine cities -- Medan, North Sumatra; Palembang, South Sumatra; Pontianak, West Kalimantan; Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan; Jakarta; Bandung, West Java; Surakarta, Central Java; Malang, East Java and Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Some 500 people, mostly high-school students, participated from each city.

CETRO plans to run another simulation in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, and Keerom, Papua, on Oct. 19 and Oct. 23 respectively.