Glasgow early voting is declared void

Glasgow early voting is declared void

JAKARTA (JP): The government has declared "void" the votes of
140 Indonesians in Glasgow, Scotland in Great Britain on
Saturday, or five days ahead of schedule.

Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gaffar Fadyl,
and the deputy secretary-general of the General Elections
Committee, Waluyo, said separately the voting should not have
taken place as it violated procedures.

The Indonesians who had voted included Indonesian shuttlers
taking part in the Sudirman Cup and the subsequent World
Badminton Championship competitions in Glasgow.

"We are studying the case. We suspect that the local election
committee has been careless and misinterpreted the technical
directives issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on overseas
voting," Gaffar said yesterday.

Walujo said the decision of the election committee in Glasgow
to organize the voting was groundless.

"The general election, as stipulated in Presidential Decree
No. 86/1996, will be held on May 29, 1997," he told reporters.

"Therefore, the badminton players and officials must recast
their votes on May 29," he said.

He guaranteed that votes already made in Glasgow would not be
included in the ballot counting process after Indonesia holds the
election Thursday.

Strong reaction came from the United Development Party (PPP).
Its deputy chairman, Hamzah Haz, said the Glasgow election
committee had violated the principles of "direct, general, free
and confidential voting" as stipulated in the electoral laws.

"The proceeding was unlawful," he said.

The premature voting was openly held in one of the hotel
rooms, where viewers could see what the players and officials
were doing. The election coordinator, though sitting with his
back to the voters, was also in the same room.

Separately, Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) deputy
chairman Budi Hardjono called for firm sanctions against the
local committee, if they were proved in wrongdoing.

"We should not tolerate such carelessness as it will trigger
similar (premature voting) at other Indonesian embassies," he
told reporters. (imn)