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)