Foul play 'behind delay of legislature list issuance'
Foul play 'behind delay of legislature list issuance'
JAKARTA (JP): Election officials have revealed that foul play,
including tampering with computer files in the National Elections
Committee, was behind yet another delay in the announcement of
the provincial list of some 13,000 provincial legislature
candidates.
Committee chairman Jacob Tobing cited on Saturday night a
party which originally submitted on hard copies the names of its
candidates for 16 provinces. The party, which Jacob did not
identify, was later recorded in the computer files as having
candidates for all of Indonesia's 27 provinces.
Jacob refused to confirm the computer files have been tampered
with, saying there could be ordinary "typing errors." Other
committee members, however, alleged "political interference" in
the glitches.
Earlier, printing problems were blamed for the delay. The
Metro Pos printing company was said to be unable to produce
80,000 sheets, in newspaper format, of the list, which will be
distributed across the country.
The list was originally scheduled for release on May 12, to be
followed by three days of distribution. The public was then to be
given until May 16 and May 17 to judge and raise objections about
the listing.
Jacob promised all officials would work overtime to recheck
and announce the list on Sunday. He also said the final list of
legislative candidates would be issued on May 19 at the latest.
He said to facilitate circulation of the information, the list
would be issued to the media on computer disks, while the public
could access it through a website: http//www. pemilu99.or.id.
Committee members have earlier alleged foul play behind the
repeated delays. Some pointed out it did not make sense the
printing company, which prints popular publications such as the
Pos Kota and Terbit dailies, should be unable to produce the
list.
"From the beginning, we were never informed of the company
chosen to print the list. It is all being handled by the
secretary of the General Elections Commission (KPU)," said PPI
deputy chairman Hasballah M. Saad of the National Mandate Party
(PAN).
Kristya Kartika of the Deliberation, Work and Cooperation
Party (MKGR Party) said "political interference" also contributed
to the delay, as some parties reportedly tried to insert new
names and change the list on their own.
"There is a systematic effort to tarnish the credibility of
PPI and KPU (General Elections Commission). I cannot say who
launched the campaign, but it will hinder the poll process
badly," he said.
Jacob also said that up to Friday 86 percent of the 130
million eligible voters had registered.
In Aceh, chairman of the Provincial Elections Committee (PPDI)
Farhan Hamid told The Jakarta Post by phone that up until 5 p.m.
on Saturday, 55 percent of the total 2,315,244 eligible voters in
the province had registered.
"The voter registration in troubled regencies of Pidie, North
Aceh and East Aceh reaches 18, 22, and 48 percent respectively,"
Farhan said.
In a related development, the Maluku branch of the Rectors
Forum, an independent poll-monitoring body, said it needs at
least 3,500 volunteers to supervise the poll. Up until now it has
recruited 1,200 students in the area.
Meanwhile, Antara quoted Indonesian Ambassador HBL Mantiri in
Singapore as saying hundreds of Chinese-Indonesians from Jakarta
and several other major cities in Java would be arriving in the
island city-state beginning Monday.
"Rumors about the possibility of an outbreak of unrest before
and during the campaigning period could have prompted them to
leave for Singapore, and Jakarta-Singapore air tickets were
already sold out," he said.
In a related development in Semarang on Saturday, around 1,000
supporters of 48 political parties held a convoy for peace around
the city. The event took place after they pledged to conduct
peaceful electioneering in the coming days.
The parade was seen off by Governor Mardiyanto, accompanied by
Central Java Military chief Maj. Gen. Bibit Waluyo and Police
chief Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi.
Nurfaizi later told said the political parties had agreed to
prevent supporters from holding campaign rallies along the
highways of Central Java's north coast.
The highways are Java's artery for staple food distribution
from Jakarta to other areas across the island.
According to Nurfaizi, two-thirds of the province's police
force of 14,000 personnel would be deployed across the region to
maintain order. They would be supported by members of the
recently recruited civilian militia (Kamra).
In Medan, North Sumatra, 10 out of 47 political parties in the
area failed to show up at a meeting held by the provincial
elections committee, to prepare for the campaigning period.
Separately in Jayapura, Irian Jaya, the regency election
committee in Jayawijaya found several voter registration forms
sealed with the ruling party Golkar stamp.
"The forms are supposed to be stamped with the subdistrict
polling committee (PPS) seal," said committee chief Ben Vincent
Djeharu. (edt/aan/har/39/34)