Cheating said to be rampant in Mentawai

JAKARTA (JP): Poll watchers said on Tuesday the elections had been generally free of intimidation, but demanded the polls be repeated in at least one province.

The Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) in West Sumatra said cheating had been rampant in the Mentawai islands, about 90 kilometers to the east of the capital, Padang.

KIPP's provincial secretary-general Akhmad Khoiruddin Tambusai said observations from 82 volunteers revealed "widespread manipulation by the Padang Pariaman and West Sumatra election committees. To respect the political rights of the Mentawai people the polls must be repeated there."

Akhmad said dead persons' names were listed as voters on registration lists.

A political party cadre working at a polling place reported to police that 3,000 ballot papers and a ballot box had been removed by an official from South Siberut district, before the poll began in Simatalu village.

KIPP coordinator in Mentawai, Sondang Paruhun Simanjuntak, said many people in the islands were not even aware of the polls.

Akhmad said reports from Mentawai were received by phone, because the only facsimile was in continuous use by the military.

Provincial elections committee chairman Adi Bermasa said the committee would "seriously study" KIPP's demand that the polls be repeated. But he denied allegations that officials had not worked hard to make a success of the polls.

"We all know their difficulties of working on the remote islands," he said. Sondang said volunteers had to travel on foot for two days and two nights after speed boats transported them to the islets.

From Medan, North Sumatra, it was reported that a Golkar office in Padang Bulan district was used as a polling place. KIPP secretary-general Effendi Panjaitan charged that this factor contributed to Golkar's victory in the area dominated by supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

The KIPP office in Medan has recorded 105 violations in the vote process, from a lack of ballot papers to the use of invalid ballot papers.

In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, the KIPP chapter reported 300 violations. Coordinator Nasiruddin Pasigai said voters participated "with freedom from fear of intimidation, so the poll process has indicated respect for democratic values".

"Political" and legal violations were caused by the "inability of officials to adjust themselves to current changes," said Nasiruddin. He said he hoped all reported violations would be followed up "to ensure the growth of public trust".

From Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara, the private LP3ES team reported five instances of more than one voter's presence in polling booths. The presence of two people at the same time is only allowed for disabled voters. Two voters were observed by the team in one booth at Jembatan Kembar village, Lembar district in West Lombok, but committee officials ignored the violation.

The team under the respected Jakarta-based research body is investigating reports of distribution of staple foods by several political parties before Monday's polls in Dasan Agung subdistrict, Mataram.

Voters under the legal minimum age of 17 were discovered in Prapen subdistrict, Praya district, Central Lombok. The provincial elections committee also uncovered incidents of ballot papers being pierced before Monday at Monggonao kampong in the town of Raba, Bima regency. The official supervisory election committee also found ballot papers with arrows pointing to number 33 -- Golkar's number -- in Bolo district in Bima regency.

In Jakarta, Unfrel also said there were a "significant number of under-age voters" in East Java, especially among attendees of pesantren (traditional Muslim boarding schools). On Monday, Unfrel reported that 30,000 ballot papers were punched before the poll began.

Unfrel's national coordinator Todung Mulya Lubis said despite the poll failings, so far "our reports suggest that 82 percent of our monitors believe the final (results) would be a reflection of the votes cast." Conditions were much better than the 1997 poll despite slow results, he added.

Poll watch volunteers from Gadjah Mada University reported that voters were forced to sign ballot papers in Hargobinangun village in Pakem district, Sleman regency. Protests were ignored, with up to 70 percent of voters' preferences known to polling place officials.

KIPP has reported 115 violations from Greater Jakarta alone. (28/39/30/40/49/swa/anr)