Hasyim denies vote-buying charges
Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya
Vice presidential candidate Hasyim Muzadi denied on Saturday a report that his campaign workers had bribed a number of Muslim clerics in East and Central Java to vote for him and presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri in the July 5 election.
"It still needs verification. If it's proven to be true, we will accept responsibility," Hasyim, who has temporarily stepped aside as the chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), said in Surabaya, East Java.
Hasyim acknowledged he sometimes gave what he termed "donations" to NU clerics, but said that he and his campaign workers had never attempted to "buy their votes".
The East Java General Elections Commission (KPUD) revealed on Friday that it was investigating a report that the clerics had received US$10,000 each in exchange for their support for the Megawati-Hasyim ticket in the July polls. The pair finished second, and now go forward to face Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate Jusuf Kalla in the runoff in September.
The election commission identified the recipients of the money as Ubaidillah Faqih of Tuban, Abdul Gofur of Lamongan, Mas Subadar of Pasuruan, and Idris Marzuki and Saidin Zalzuli of Kediri. All are from East Java.
Among the clerics from Central Java who were allegedly bribed are Hasbullah of Cilacap, Muntoha of Wonosobo, Zakroni of Kudus, Masruri of Brebes, Maimun Zubair of Rembang, Abdul Wahid of Purwodadi, and the NU's board of patrons' chairman, Sahal Mahfudz of Rembang.
Subadar and Ubaidillah, a son of influential cleric Abdullah Faqih, are supporters of presidential candidate Wiranto and his partner Solahuddin Wahid, who finished third and were therefore eliminated.
Ubaidillah refused to respond on Saturday to reports of his involvement in the vote-buying scandal.
"I cannot comment on this. It would be better to wait for the KPU investigation," he added.
The others could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
Hasyim argued that in the NU tradition, the giving of "donations" to clerics or Islamic boarding schools was a common practice when paying them a visit.
"In NU culture, it's quite common and normal to give donations to clerics. It should not be regarded as bribery," said Hasyim, who also heads the Al-Hikam Islamic boarding school, which has campuses in Malang, East Java, and in Depok, West Java.
Separately, Minister of Industry and Trade Rini Suwandi, who was accompanying President Megawati on a visit to Sidoarjo, East Java, refuted an allegation in the KPU report that her husband Didi Suwandi had donated money to some clerics.
According to electoral law, candidates may be charged with vote-buying if they, their families or campaign workers make payments in return for the votes of the recipients.
The secretary of the Megawati-Hasyim campaign team in Surabaya, Kusnadi, said that donations to Islamic boarding schools were often given on a private basis by the ticket's supporters without any commitments being given as regards votes.
"Our total campaign funds amount to only Rp 500 million ... so, we're at a loss to know where all these dollars are coming from," Kusnadi told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
He claimed the report was part of a smear campaign launched by Megawati's rivals -- a campaign that included the publicity surrounding the recent case of a VCD showing police favoritism for Megawati and Hasyim.