City helps out to speed up vote count
JAKARTA (JP): In an attempt to speed up the vote counting process, Governor Sutiyoso has provided Rp 5 million (US$745) to each of the 48 political party's representatives at the Jakarta Provincial Election Committee (PPD I), a senior executive at the city administration said on Wednesday.
The reliable source, who requested anonymity, said the governor took the step to ensure vote counting in the capital could pick up its pace and remove any further obstacles.
"It's shameful that vote counting in the city, which in fact should be an example of the success of the election process in the country, has so far run too slowly, while in the area the process could occur much more speedily," the official said.
The source said that to attain the goal Sutiyoso considered it necessary to give the committee members an "incentive".
While the governor could not be reached for comment, party representatives at the PPD I denied the allegation.
PPD I chairman Djafar Badjeber, who represented the United Development Party (PPP), said: "We have not received any such funds. Even if it is proved true, the amount is too small. We would then have a feeling of being belittled.
"If some of our members change their mind and are willing to sign the vote result reports, it is only because of their responsibility as citizens," he said.
Justice Party (PK) representative Faqih Munandar said he had nothing of the governor's measure.
"There is a possibility that such practices may occur if the parties immediately change their decision (to sign the vote results report), but so far I haven't heard about it," he said.
Djafar, however, acknowledged that he strongly supported the governor's stance to forge a successful outcome for the election process in Jakarta, which was the barometer for all the provinces in the country.
Vote counting in the city has run at a sluggish pace for a variety of reasons, in particular as a result of claims of alleged violations in the counting process made by the smaller political parties.
Threaten
At least 32 minor parties earlier threatened not to sign the counting results if the violations could not be explained satisfactorily.
Their stance had caused a delay in the counting process on several occasions.
However, their position appeared to soften on Wednesday, when it was agreed that the official reports on the vote result would be signed, but with additional notes.
According to the source, the governor assigned the city administration's representative in the election committee, Tursandi Alwi, as the contact person for the fund.
The source said Tursandi held a closed meeting with PPD I executives on Wednesday.
In a related development on Wednesday, the committee's program division, led by Pitoyo Adhi, revealed that the validity of the count, from random sampling taken from 334 voting places, could only be guaranteed in 37 percent of voting places in the city.
Pitoyo said the low outcome was chiefly the result of documents going missing during the PPD I counting process.
"For that reason, I offer the plenary session of PPD I today to take a decision to sign the vote results with additional notes to state that only 37 percent of the votes are valid," he said. (ind)