General Elections Commission receives 'death' threat
Moch. N. Kurniawan and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The General Elections Commission (KPU) received on Tuesday an anonymous package containing 11 live bullets addressed to each of its members and a letter demanding that the Commission adopt certain specifications in the tender of ballot boxes for the elections next year.
It was the first time the commission received a threat since it began operating almost two years ago as an independent body.
A staff member at KPU chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin's office said she received the suspicious A4-size envelope, which was delivered in person by an unidentified man at about 5:00 p.m.
"I have never seen this man before. He just handed the letter to us and disappeared," she told reporters.
"From its cover, it looks like the letter came from Bakin, and is addressed to Pak Nazaruddin and Mulyana W. Kusumah (KPU member). It is shocking, as the letter contains 11 bullets," she said.
Bakin is the former State Intelligence Coordinating Board, which was replaced by the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) in October 2000.
Three KPU employees brought the package to the Menteng Police, Central Jakarta.
The police found the second page of the letter said the KPU was to provide ballot boxes made of steel or an alloy of steel and aluminum. It also specified that the tender for the procurement of the steel ballot boxes must be awarded to local businessmen, while the tender for the procurement of the alloy ballot boxes must be given to Chinese-Indonesian businessmen.
"Don't force us to commit murder. The choice is in your hands," read the first page of the letter, written in red.
The police discovered two FN bullets the sender said were for Nazaruddin and Mulyana, and nine CIS bullets addressed to the other members of the Commission.
Mulyana is in charge of the ballot box tenders.
Security at the KPU office on Jl. Imam Bonjol is apparently lax, with people entering the building freely without undergoing any identification checks.
The KPU and the National Police had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in April that obliged the latter to guard the KPU building and its members.
Menteng Police chief Comr. Sahardiantono said more police officers would be deployed to secure the KPU building, following the anonymous threat. At present, only four officers are posted at KPU building.
Meanwhile, KPU secretary-general Safder Yusacc said the Commission would intensify the security on its premises.
"The written threat and the bullets is absolutely not the right way to criticize the KPU ... We will certainly increase the security in the building," he said, after a 10-minute meeting with KPU chairman Nazaruddin discussing the apparent death threat.
Another KPU member, Hamid Awaluddin, echoed the sentiment.
"If the person who wrote this letter alleges that KPU is unfair in conducting a tender, he or she can complain in a fair manner -- not by sending us an anonymous threat," he said.
National Police deputy spokesman Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis said police would investigate the incident to uncover the sender, as well the motive, behind the threat.
"This cannot be categorized as terrorism, because it does not cause fear among the public. It is, simply, a threat," said Zainuri.
Commenting on the MOU between KPU and the police, Zainuri said that the agreement would be applied as a general policy to safeguard persons, activities and ballot boxes. The police operation is to be called Mantab Brata 2004.
"But, of course, we (police) cannot guarantee the safety of every person in the KPU, as well as the building. No one and nothing is immune to a possible attack. We will deploy police personnel, but still we cannot guarantee absolute safety," he said.
The KPU is organizing the legislative election, which is scheduled for April 5, 2004, and the presidential election in two rounds, on July 5 and Sept. 20.