Election watchdog demands KPU response

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta

An election watchdog held a protest on Monday urging the General Elections Commission (KPU) to issue a public announcement either authorizing it to monitor the polls or rejecting its application and the reasons for the decision.

"We haven't received the KPU's approval, although we fulfilled all administrative requirements. If we have been turned down, what is their basis for such a decision," said executive director of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) Ray Rangkuti.

The deadline for accreditation for election observers is June 15.

Dozens of KIPP members from around the country staged a rally at KPU headquarters. One of the commission's members is a KIPP founder -- Mulyana W. Kusumah.

The protesters, who snuck into the grounds one by one to stage the rally, said the commission had revived the tactic of the bygone New Order regime of imposing a permit for any activity involving civil society movements.

Ray said the KPU should publicly disclose their motives behind its refusal, if such was the decision, to grant the monitoring permit. "Is it because they were offended by our statement that the KPU had turned into a general censorship commission and we declined to apologize?"

KIPP was reprimanded by the KPU during the legislative election for disclosing its findings to the public before consulting the commission first. In response, the polls watchdog sent a letter to the commission on April 19, saying the KPU had no authority over whether or not a watchdog could communicate with the public.

It also said the commission could not suppress findings from a polls watchdog.

Separately, KPU member Valina Singka Subekti said the commission had not issued a permit for KIPP, as it had violated the code of ethics of election observers.

"It was agreed by all monitoring institutions that they would keep their reports confidential and that the KPU would be the first to know about their findings. But in the case of KIPP, we learned of their findings after it had been circulated widely," she said.

She also said KIPP should have abided by KPU Ruling No. 104/2003, which obligates all election monitors to present their reports to the KPU.

Under the General Elections Law, the KPU is in charge of organizing and conducting the elections, although it does not have jurisdiction over the findings of election monitors.

The commission has issued monitoring permits for a number of local observers, including the Election Caring Community, Transparency International, the Habibie Center, the Institute of Research, Education and Information on Socio-political Affairs, the People's Voters Education Network and a consortium of nine local non-governmental organizations.