General Elections Commission receives 'death' threat

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.