Feisal attacks plan for independent poll watchdog
Feisal attacks plan for independent poll watchdog
JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung
has asked non-governmental organizations to scrap their plans to
set up independent election watchdogs, saying their move is
unconstitutional.
"The 1945 Constitution makes no mention of independent
electoral monitoring committees. It is obviously
unconstitutional," he said in Semarang, Central Java, yesterday.
The existing electoral supervision committee under the
National Election Institute remains the only legitimate watchdog,
he said.
The plan to set up an independent poll committee was initiated
by political activists who are concerned about the widespread
government pressure and vote rigging in past elections.
Many chapters of the United Development Party (PPP) in the
provinces have openly threatened to boycott next year's election
unless the government, which backs Golkar, guarantees fairness.
Critics say that the current electoral system favors Golkar.
Maj. Gen. Suwarno Adiwidjoyo, assistant to ABRI's chief of
sociopolitical affairs, said the official electoral supervision
committee's independence is impeccable because it consists of
representatives from all the three contestants, PPP, Golkar and
PDI (the Indonesian Democratic Party).
"Everyone should know that it would be unconstitutional to
form another supervision committee," he told The Post in
Semarang.
Meanwhile, political observers J.E. Sahetapy and Aribowo
argued that the independent watchdog is necessary to dispel
doubts about the government's impartiality.
Sahetapy said in Surabaya that the demands to form an
independent poll watch suggests that people saw something wrong
in past elections.
"If the government insists on rejecting this initiative,
people will become even more skeptical about its honesty in the
upcoming election," the law expert said.
He pointed out that the government has never felt it necessary
to give account of itself to the people, after organizing,
interpreting, and consistently winning elections.
None of the numerous violations reported by the PDI and PPP to
the authorities in each general election held since 1971 had ever
reached the courts of law, he said.
Aribowo said ABRI is strongly opposed to the NGO activists'
initiative because it traditionally supports Golkar.
Golkar was founded by ABRI in 1964 to contain the growing
influence of the now outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI),
which was blamed for the bloody coup attempt in 1965.
"It is theoretically true that all the three contestants are
included in the official electoral supervision committee. But in
practice, PPP and PDI representatives' position in the field is
made difficult," he said.
The political scholar said the authorities would sweep under
the carpet any violations committed by Golkar, but would
prosecute those made by the PPP and PDI, he said.
In the West Javan capital of Bandung, Abdurrahman Wahid
expressed doubt whether the idea to form independent poll
watchdogs will result in anything positive.
The chairman of the 35 million-member Nahdlatul Ulama said it
was unlikely that either the government or the activists would
lay down their arms.
"One camp wants to build it but the other is determined to
destroy it because it will only undermine the establishment. I
think the plan only creates a new problem," he told journalists.
Gus Dur, as Abdurrahman is better known, was one of the many
prominent public figures rumored to be setting up a second
independent poll watch dog until he denied it yesterday.
He said he meant to be consistent with Nahdlatul Ulama's
resolution to stay away from politics.
"Ideally, such a watchdog is needed. But is it workable in
practice ? What if it is used by foreigners to apply pressure on
Indonesia ?" he said.
He argued that technically, it will be impossible to set up
the independent body and make it function in 1997 because it will
be a complicated job to determine its composition and its working
mechanism. (har/15/17/pan)