Goenawan chairs new independent poll watchdog

Goenawan chairs new independent poll watchdog

JAKARTA (JP): More than 50 journalists, lawyers, statesmen and
activists founded the Independent Election Monitoring Committee
(KIPP) yesterday in defiance of a military warning that their
move is "unconstitutional."

Senior journalist and former chief editor of the banned Tempo
magazine Goenawan Mohamad, who chairs the presidium, said the
committee, with its eye on next year's general election, aims to
make "corrections" to the way the polls have been held in the
past.

"With all due respect to the efforts made since 1971 in
improving the election mechanism, we have to admit that there are
shortcomings that need correcting," Goenawan said.

"Improving the mechanism must involve the people's
participation because it is the people's voice that counts in
elections. Their participation is also a concrete form of
political education," according to the statement signed by
Goenawan and Secretary General Mulyana Kusumah.

The long awaited announcement was made at the Cafe Venezia
before approximately 200 people, from various organizations and
professions, including human rights activists, legal aid workers,
politicians, journalists and students.

Goenawan heads an 11-person presidium of mostly activists from
various non-governmental organizations.

The committee draws its strength from the presence of more
than 40 senior statesmen, lawyers, intellectuals and activists on
its board of advisors.

The advisors include Adnan Buyung Nasution, Soekardjo
Adidjojo, Amartiwi Saleh, Nurcholish Madjid, S.K. Trimurti, Arbi
Sanit, Arief Budiman, Ali Sadikin, Sri Bintang Pamungkas, Permadi
Satrio Wiwoho, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, Zoemrotin K. Soesilo
and Muchtar Pakpahan. And the list is growing, the committee
said.

"The establishment of the committee reflects our desire to
voluntarily contribute to the processes of democracy, and support
the call for an honest and fair election through a direct and
secret ballot," the statement read.

Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung last week said the plan
to establish an election monitoring committee outside the
official election framework is "unconstitutional". At the time he
did not spell out what moves the military would take if the
activists went ahead with the plan.

The idea for an independent election committee originated with
the United Development Party which said that cheating in previous
elections had gone unpunished.

The initiative has since been taken up by private
organizations, and several have been set up in various cities.
The committee under Goenawan is by far the most credible in terms
of the personnel involved.

Goenawan said the committee will recruit and train volunteers
to help in monitoring the elections, write up reports for the
public, organize discussions and research work, and conduct
polls. The KIPP secretariat also welcomes reports from members of
the public who are aware of election malpractice.

The committee is prepared to work with other, similar,
committees that have been established in cities such as Banda
Aceh, Lampung, Yogyakarta, Bali, Bandung, Manado, Surakarta,
Jakarta and Ujungpandang.

Goenawan said the committee does not have any permanent source
of income to finance its activities. "For the time being, we are
funding our activities through personal contributions."

Nurcholish Madjid, a respected Moslem intellectual who is on
the board of advisors, said the committee is not obliged to have
government approval. "This is an independent body," he said.

The committee should be seen as part of the current move
towards a civil society, in which people participate in the
decision-making processes and have the right to fair treatment by
the state apparatus, he said. (imn)