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)