Ballot errors, fire disrupt Jakarta polls

JAKARTA (JP): A burning of a polling place, mockery and other complaints marked a cloudy election day on Monday in greater Jakarta while streets were deserted as residents lined up to vote.

Almost all streets in Jakarta, including the main thoroughfares of Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Rasuna Said, and surrounding areas, in Tangerang, Bekasi and Bogor, were quiet until late afternoon.

Shops were closed, including those along Jl. Hayam Wuruk and Jl. Gajah Mada, in Glodok and Mangga Dua shopping centers in West Jakarta and in Blok M, South Jakarta. These were among the targets in riots last year which led to the fall of former president Soeharto.

Four armored vehicles and several soldiers were placed at the compound of ITC Mangga Dua shopping center in West Jakarta.

In Tangerang, however, dozens of Kemuning villagers in Kresek district set the polling place on fire.

Villagers were reportedly upset after being rejected by local polls committee to vote at the polling place. The committee said the villagers had not yet registered.

At least 550 ballot papers, ballot boxes and three polling booths were destroyed in the incident which caused voters and officers of the polling place to flee in panic.

Tangerang Police chief Lt. Col. Pudji Hartanto said police managed to arrest five local "provocateurs" for instigating the disturbance which occurred at 10 a.m.

The local poll committee quickly dropped off new ballots and a new polling station was rebuilt while dozens of police officers were deployed to guard the station.

In Jakarta, many voters complained about glitches in the poll process. In Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, a polling place had the names of voters on dozens of ballot papers. Voters protested and the local committee then repeated the whole process.

In a polling place in West Jakarta, dozens of ballots had holes in them. Residents in Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta, had to repeat the voting process when the committee realized that some 95 people had received and marked only the white ballot papers of which they received two for city council. There was no protest from witnesses. Jakartans should receive two different ballot papers, a white one for city council and a pink one for the House of Representatives.

Voting was lively at polling places especially during tallying when people clapped for their favorite parties and booed, mainly when number 33, the number of Golkar Party, was mentioned.

At least 600 patients at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital had to wait for more than two hours since ballot papers were shorted. The poll committee at the hospital only provided about 500 ballots. Medical staff and patients' relatives also voted there.

Over all, the poll ran smoothly for some 5.4 million eligible voters from various walks of life.

At least 509 of the 1,682 prisoners at Cipinang penitentiary in East Jakarta voted. In Salemba penitentiary, 508 of the 1,215 prisoners and detainees cast their votes.

Prostitutes in Kramat Tunggak brothel, North Jakarta, also went to a nearby polling place while dozens in a house for the blind on Jl. Dewi Sartika, East Jakarta, entered polling booths, each accompanied by a member of the poll committee and a witness to ensure no fraud occurred. Some voters voiced concern for the discretion of their votes, as they had been asked to identify the numbers of their selected parties in the booths.

There are some 1.8 million blind people in Indonesia. Representatives of the blind had earlier requested that ballot papers be provided in Braille but the General Elections Commission said lack of funds made this impossible.

Separately, Governor Sutiyoso said he was satisfied with how the poll was running despite hurried preparations.

"I believe that we can maintain a just and fair election... many poll observers are also monitoring the process," he said after accompanying Habibie on a visit to polling places in Central, South and West Jakarta.

Ballot tallying at a number of polling places revealed tough competition among the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP).

At a polling place on Jl. Sabang in Central Jakarta, PDI Perjuangan led with 233 votes followed by PAN, which collected 73 and PPP with 30.

PPP collected many votes at a number of polling places at Menteng Dalam subdistrict in South Jakarta.

Another polling place in the same subdistrict showed that PAN won 164 votes, PDI Perjuangan followed with 105 and Golkar ranked third with 46. (41/ind/jun)