Bengkulu governor denies alleged poll rigging

Bengkulu governor denies alleged poll rigging

JAKARTA (JP): Election organizers in Bengkulu vehemently
denied yesterday the United Development Party's (PPP) allegation
of attempted poll rigging in the province.

Bengkulu Governor Adjis Achmad, who is also chairman of the
General Election Committee's provincial office, and Nawawi
Effendi, chairman of the Election Supervision Committee local
office, called the allegation "baseless".

"We checked. It's not true at all," Adjis was quoted by Antara
as saying in the provincial capital of Bengkulu yesterday.

"The document (that PPP cited as proof of poll rigging) was
fake or probably sent by irresponsible people to Jakarta," Nawawi
said.

The two were responding to PPP Chairman Ismail Hasan
Metareum's accusation that a subdistrict head in Sumatra had
already decided the May 29 election results for his subdistrict.

PPP officials have said they found "an authentic document"
showing that the official had allotted Golkar 86.29 percent of
the subdistrict's votes, the PPP 7 percent and the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) 6.71 percent.

Ismail did not say the subdistrict was in Bengkulu, but it
later became apparent that he was referring to Mulyadi Wadjis,
the Gading Cempaka subdistrict head in Bengkulu. Mulyadi, in his
capacity as a local Golkar official, was responsible for the
"election results".

Adjis and Nawawi defended Mulyadi. Adjis said the document was
"a projection sheet".

"This practice is not against any election rules," Nawawi
said. "The document was leaked (by some people) who also erased
the word 'projection.' Besides, the projection was drafted (by
Mulyadi) on his own initiative.

"There are no rules to prevent it, much less punish the man,"
Nawawi said.

Adjis said, "I'm going to get to the bottom of this. How could
an official and a confidential document get leaked like this.

"Whoever is responsible for the leak will be punished...," he
said.

The Armed Forces deplored Ismail's poll-rigging accusation
yesterday. Armed Forces Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen.
Syarwan Hamid lashed out at the PPP, saying the party should have
checked and reported the finding to the General Elections
Institute or the Election Supervision Committee before making it
public.

"That (reporting to the agencies) is the standard procedure,"
Syarwan said in Bandung, West Java. "It would have been better if
the party had not gone public with it, because the revelation has
already shaped public opinion.

"His (revelation) has created certain public opinions at home
and abroad. It will be difficult to undo these opinions, even if
we later find the allegation cannot be proven," he said.

He said that if Ismail had been dissatisfied with government
rules on electioneering, "he shouldn't have vented off steam this
way".

"We have procedures to follow," he said.

On Wednesday, Ismail said he had reported and given "the
evidence" to Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M., the
General Election Institute's chairman.

Syarwan denied speculation yesterday of poll rigging or that
Ismail's accusation revealed "a hidden agenda by a certain
election contestant".

"What scenario? There's no such thing as (election)
scenarios," he asserted. "Every contestant is just trying to win.

"We have to localize the problem. If the allegation is proved,
there'll be punishment. The Armed Forces will uphold the rules,"
Syarwan said. (ahy/aan/swe)