Government vows fair play in coming elections

JAKARTA (JP): The government has pledged to be fair and refrain from dominating the upcoming elections although its five members on the National Election Committee will have equal voting rights compared to at least dozens of party representatives.

Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid gave the assurance Tuesday at a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission on law and home and foreign political affairs.

"The government in principle will function as a facilitator in support of the election committee in running the election fairly," he said.

He was responding to legislators' questions on the role of the government in the National Election Committee.

Legislators have just completed months of deliberations on the political laws passed on Feb.1 including that on the elections but detailed directives on the committee are yet to be completed.

The law states that the Committee is comprised of one representative of each political party and five government representatives. "The voting right of the government and representatives of political parties... will be equal," the law says.

As of Tuesday the Ministry of Justice said 17 out of 49 parties which have registered meet requirements. The total figure of parties which have been set up since last May is between 140 and 230 while registration lasts until Feb. 21.

"The government representatives in the committee will be fair and cooperative and will not abuse their power to give political advantage to a particular contesting party," Syarwan said Monday in a discussion on political laws held by the Indonesian Journalists' Association. He said the provision balancing voting rights of the government with those of the parties was intended to ensure the elections run in line with the law.

The election committee will start work March 1, when the government-run National Election Institution will be disbanded permanently.

The process of selecting eligible parties has been entrusted to the independent 11-member team of respected figures led by noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid.

Syarwan also said that his ministry was helping the team make around 80 directives that will regulate the election committee. Team member Mulyana W. Kusumah said last week that the team was composing directives for the 87 chapters in the new laws on political parties and on general elections.

He also urged Monday that parties send cooperative representatives to sit on the election committee.

"Flexible and cooperative individuals will be needed on the committee to prevent friction and conflict," he said.

He reiterated the government would not allow its representatives to occupy the top committee post and this would be better entrusted to a representative of the contending parties.

In previous elections the minister headed the election committee and his subordinates occupied the lower levels of the committee, prompting criticism because all officials were members of the Golkar ruling group.

To prevent multiple voting on polling day slated for June 7 this year, the government has ordered quality ink from India in which voters would have a finger dipped. The ink would disappear only after 10 days, he said.

Election monitoring activists reported multiple voting among various violations in the 1997 polls in which Golkar gained a sweeping victory. (rms/01)