Independent poll watchdog secures strong support

JAKARTA (JP): Despite the government's rejection of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP), the group has secured strong support from five major student groups.

The Association of Islamic Students, the Indonesian Islamic Students Movement, the Union of the Indonesian Catholic Students, the Indonesian Christian Students Movement and the Indonesian Nationalist Students Movement all gave their backing yesterday.

Also voicing its support was the Vanguards of Indonesian Independence, a nationalist group formerly affiliated with the Indonesian Democratic Party.

They agreed that the independent poll watchdog is needed to give the people more say in supervising the 1997 general election.

"The people's participation in supervising the general election is part of the people's right to control what their government is doing," the students said in a joint statement.

In the past, the group said, the people were not given the opportunity to supervise the electoral process from the planning stages to the final evaluation.

The independent poll monitoring committee was formed on March 15 by a group of prominent human rights activists, lawyers and journalists.

Its establishment has spawned other independent watchdogs, a new phenomenon in Indonesia's electoral history, but the government has rejected all the committees on the grounds that Indonesia already has the official election supervision committee called Panwaslak.

Chief of the Catholic student union, Antonius Doni, said he did not doubt in the slightest the legality of the independent committee because it is a manifestation of the freedoms of expression and assembly guaranteed in the 1945 Constitution.

"Although the general election law does not mention any independent poll monitoring committee, KIPP is legal because the principles of its mission are guaranteed by the Constitution," he said.

Deputy chairman of the Islamic student association, Umar Husein, said that different views should be prized by the government as the country pursues democratic reforms.

"KIPP's presence should be regarded as a partner of the official Election Monitoring Committee," he said.

The idea for an independent committee is believed to have begun with the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP), a minority party which alleges that cheating in past elections has been overlooked.

Several PPP chapters in the provinces last year threatened to boycott next year's election unless the government, which backs Golkar, guarantees fairness.

The initiative has since been taken up by private organizations. The first "private" election monitoring committee was set up last January in Bandung, West Java. Similar regional committees were subsequently set up in various cities.

Meanwhile, Vanguards of Indonesian Independence chairman Soeprapto said he welcomes the independent body. He agreed that its formation is in line with the 1945 Constitution, which guarantees the right of all Indonesian citizens to channel their political aspirations.

"KIPP's formation shows that the people are really concerned with and willing to take part in state affairs," Soeprapto was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday.

Soeprapto, a former Jakarta governor, said the real issue is how the new poll watchdog will channel its findings through the government's poll monitoring committee.

In Bogor, some 60 kilometers south of Jakarta, a group of 50 student and labor activists have also established a branch of KIPP. (imn/31)