Election watchdog demands KPU response

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.