General election test of RI's 'political maturity'

General election test of RI's 'political maturity'

JAKARTA (JP): Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tanjung said
Friday that the appearance of as many as 48 contestants in the
June poll was a sign of freedom and democracy but could lead to
clashes among rival supporters.

Akbar, also the Golkar chairman, was quoted by Antara as
saying that the enormous number of contenders would be "the test
case of the nation's maturity in politics."

He spoke after installing the new chief of the State Personnel
Administration Agency (BAKN), Sofyan Effendi, who replaced Maj.
Gen. (ret) Soenarko.

The government announced Thursday that 48 parties had passed
the screening of a body called the Team of Eleven assigned among
other things to verify eligible parties out of more than 140
which had registered themselves.

Akbar called on all party cadres, supporters and members to
maintain security and peace in the polling process.

"Let's hope that the next election will be free of
bloodshed ... and that all contestants compete fairly and avoid
fanaticism and emotional actions."

Golkar has been charged with having great potential to abuse
the elections through money politics. Akbar earlier said to
achieve the target of at least 40 percent of the vote, cadres
should actively approach people and attend to their vital needs
such as the acquisition of scarce and costly fertilizers.

"It will be up to the people to decide which party is worthy
of channeling their aspirations," Akbar added.

Separately Mulyana W. Kusumah of the Independent Election
Monitoring Committee (KIPP) estimated there would be 130 million
voters eligible to participate in the next polls, five percent of
whom were first-time voters.

The committee and two other poll watch networks, the
University Network for Free and Fair Elections (Unfrel) and the
Rectors Forum, completed Thursday a joint code of conduct.

"We have agreed on area coordination, volunteer standards,
training materials, a guide book and forms in the monitoring
process as well as identification emblems," Mulyana, secretary
general of the committee, said after a session on poll watch
networks.

Mulyana, also in the Team of Eleven, cited several loopholes
enabling fraud, which poll watchers should closely observe.

"The law on elections does not state clearly how far poll
watchers can witness the election process. There are no clear
rules guaranteeing that poll watchers can join in the counting of
ballots. We have to push the National Election Committee to get
such access."

He added the post-election period was very important to watch,
"because experiences show that many abuses can occur, such as
ballot boxes going missing," Mulyana said.

KIPP, the first independent poll watcher, was set up to watch
over the 1997 polls. Intimidation of voters, witnesses or poll
watchers would likely occur as in the past, Mulyana said.

Amrul Al Muktasim of the National Awakening Party (PKB) added
that in the 1992 polls 1,890 violations were found, but nothing
was done about them.

"I was an executive of the United Development Party (PPP) for
25 years ... the many abuses were ignored because at the end all
parties had no choice but to agree to the results."

Mulyana added the Team of Eleven was still drafting details.

"We have finished around 30 out of 87 points, such as the
voter listings, prospective legislators mechanisms, campaigns,
voting and post-election matters," he said.

"There will be around 326,000 polling booths to be watched."

The planned 1,000 foreign observers would be registered by the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP), he said, adding that
space would be a problem in accommodating the many witnesses
representing parties and poll watchers at a single booth.

In Semarang, students grouped in a poll watch network asked
for security guarantees from universities and security forces in
monitoring the election.

In Jakarta, representatives of 12 parties which failed the
verification protested at the Ministry of Home Affairs, demanding
that they be allowed to contest the polls.

The chairman of the Mega Bulls Party (Partai Mega Banteng),
Pargianto, said letters for verification never reached the party
as they were wrongly addressed to the non-existent "Mega Bintang"
party.

Chairman of the Christ's Love Party (Partai Cinta Kasih
Kristus), Sipayung, said the team failed to verify its chapters
in Irian Jaya and Maluku, where the party had many supporters.

Meanwhile another 12 verified parties listed Friday their
representatives to sit on the National Election Committee, the
membership of which is to be announced Monday.

The committee comprises parties, lay figures and government
representatives. (edt/har)