Independent poll watchdog gains regional support

Independent poll watchdog gains regional support

JAKARTA (JP): The recently established independent poll
watchdog is rapidly increasing its popularity, with individuals
and organizations alike openly declaring their support for it.

Despite questions remaining over what mechanism the
Independent Election Monitoring Committee will employ to
supervise the various stages of the 1997 general elections, it
has been given a very warm reception.

In Yogyakarta, five influential student organizations declared
their support for the committee, which they called "part of the
people's political right to observe the general election ".

They are the Association of Islamic Students, the Indonesian
Islamic Students Movement, the Indonesian Christian Students
Movement, the Union of Indonesian Catholic Students and the
Indonesian Nationalist Students Movement.

"We hope the committee (will be able to help) so that we'll
have free, honest and fair general elections," spokesman Marwan
Jakfar said in a statement.

Whether the general elections will be a success would depend
mainly on people's participation and on whether everybody's right
to voice their political aspiration is respected, he said.

Also in Yogyakarta, chairman of the Muhammadiyah Moslem
organization Amien Rais said the committee's establishment is an
indication of a democratic country.

"It's a natural phenomenon in this democracy," he was quoted
by Antara as saying.

In Semarang, Central Java Governor Soewardi said his office
will not prevent residents from establishing regional electoral
monitoring committees.

"People are free to establish such committees. However, I have
to remind them that we already have the national electoral
monitoring committee to oversee the polls," he told The Jakarta
Post.

In Jakarta, an organization under the ruling political
grouping Golkar said it would support the independent committee
as long as it does not violate the regulations.

Abdullah Puteh, the secretary general of MKGR, which helped
found Golkar in 1964, however, also said the committee "should
never deviate from the established regulations".

He was quoted by Antara as saying that neither should the
committee readily divulge whatever findings they have to the
press. "It should discuss whatever it finds with the state
electoral monitoring committee," Puteh said.

The idea for establishing the independent committee originated
from the Moslem-based United Development Party, which alleges
that cheating in previous elections has been overlooked.

The initiative has since been taken up by a number of private
organizations, which in January established a regional election
monitoring committee in Bandung, West Java.

It was then followed by the establishment of regional
committees in various cities and then the national body on March
15.

There has been a variety of reactions from government and
military officials, including the ruling political organization.

Officials say the independent watchdog is not necessary
because it has no legal basis and will only disrupt the
supervision of the 1997 election.

The West Java military last week threatened to ban the
independent poll committee if it was found violating election
rules, while in Lampung two activists of the independent election
watchdog were arrested while they were in the process of
declaring the creation of the Lampung branch of the independent
committee. (har/imn)