Groups protest over election preparations
Groups protest over election preparations
JAKARTA (JP): The general election is still more than one year away, but two organizations held separate protests yesterday, one in Jakarta and another in Semarang, about the way the election is being prepared, one even calling for a postponement.
In Jakarta, 10 people from the Center for Information and Education on Human Rights, visited the House of Representatives to file a petition calling for the postponement until a more independent election committee is established.
The delegation met with legislators of the minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), including Sabam Sirait, Popo Sonadar Haroen, Royani Haminullah and Nana Mulyana Sukanta.
"We cannot expect the elections to be fair and honest as long as they are administered by a committee that is not independent," Agus Edi Santoso, the center's chairman, told the faction.
Agus said the election committee is too dominated by the government while the participation of the political contestants is restricted.
The committee, he said, should be controlled by a neutral body appointed by the House rather than the President.
He recalled that the 1955 general election, the first held since Indonesia became independent in 1945, was administered by a committee appointed by the House. "The government was simply executing and supporting the election phases."
Agus said election should be postponed until after the House reforms some of the political laws that restrict the elections to only three contestants and apportion some of the House seats to non-elected members.
Popo Sonadar Haroen of the PDI said in response to the demands that the proposals would be discussed by the party's executive board. "Personally, I agree with the call to delay the elections," he said.
On changing the electoral laws and regulations, Popo said his party and the United Development Party (PPP), the other minority faction in the House, are working together on a draft to change them.
In Semarang, hundreds of youths from the Indonesian Students for Democracy staged a demonstration outside the Central Java governor's office, demanding that he support a clean election.
The students, who came from various universities in Java, said the Central Java administration should make public any reports of violations of past general elections.
Like the protesters in Jakarta, they are calling for the repeal of five political laws established in 1985 which governed the election rules.
"The electoral laws only benefit Golkar," they said, referring to the dominant political organization.
The students turned up with huge banners, one reading "The 1997 elections have to be fair," and another saying "Don't cheat the people."
The students failed to meet with Governor Soewardi whom they criticized for lacking impartiality in the way he treated election contestants.
They noted that the Central Java authorities have allowed Golkar a virtual free hand in putting up its yellow flags all across the province, yet barred the PPP and PDI from putting up their banners when they marked their anniversaries last month.
The students called on the PPP and PDI to establish an organization, which can independently monitor stages of the 1997 general elections.
In Jakarta, the PPP faction said yesterday that it was still continuing with its lobbying in the House to propose a bill to reform the election laws, Antara reported.
Faction chairman Hamzah Haz denied the rumors that the party was dropping its plan.
Another faction member warned the other factions in the House not to get in the way of the PPP move. "We're following the regulations to the letter. Asking us to drop the proposed bill now is inappropriate," Ali Mawan Hanan said.
In order to have the bill debated in the House, the PPP must ensure the support of at least 20 legislators from at least two factions. Some PDI legislators said they are prepared to support the bill if PPP shows it is serious with the plan. (imn/har/pan)