Decision to let NGOs monitor general election welcomed

Decision to let NGOs monitor general election welcomed

JAKARTA (JP): The government's promise to allow the Supreme
Court and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to oversee the
coming general election was greeted positively yesterday, with
some suggesting that foreign institutions should also be allowed
to participate in the election watch.

Golkar legislator A. Slamet Effendy Jusuf said the inclusion
of institutions which had no direct interest in the election
would help ensure that fair polls are held.

"This is a good development. By allowing institutions which
are not involved in the outcome to oversee the polls, the
principle of a fair and honest election can be upheld," he said.

Slamet said the government should go one step further and
allow foreign poll watchers in.

"In my opinion foreign observers should also be invited to the
next election," he added.

Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid said Monday independent
watchdogs would be allowed to supervise the election process.

Under the government of former president Soeharto, there was a
restricted monitoring system in which only those approved by the
government were allowed to examine the polls.

During the 1997 election, a group of prominent activists
formed the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP).
However it was sidelined by the government who refused to
recognize or facilitate its efforts.

Political scientist J. Kristiadi said the government's
decision was a good step toward ending the bureaucratic
stranglehold on past elections.

Without specifying which NGOs might do the monitoring,
Kristiadi said they had to prepare themselves from now,
particularly in techniques on monitoring during vote casting and
counting.

"They have to be able to work together with the government.
There's no choice if we want to see fair and honest elections,"
he replied when asked whether NGOs could work with the government
after being marginalized by the authorities for so long.

He asserted that it was important to ensure that the
bureaucracy no longer "monopolizes" the election committee as it
did in the past.

"This element has been the source of manipulation in past
elections," he remarked, as quoted by Antara yesterday. (mds)