Journalists protest poll watchdogs

PALU, Central Sulawesi: Journalists grouped in the Independent Journalists Association here raised a complaint against local nongovernment poll monitoring organizations on Saturday over their refusal to provide data on campaign violations.

Group leader M. Noor Korompot said the University Network for Free and Fair Elections (Unfrel), the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) and the Rectors' Forum failed to fulfill their promise to present a list of violations to the journalists whenever they needed.

"They always give us illogical excuses. Unfrel said it needed to verify reports of violations, KIPP said it would only provide weekly data and activists at the Rectors' Forum never showed up," Noor said.

He regretted the lack of initiative shown by the three poll watchdogs. "How come they cannot reveal findings regularly to the media the way their counterparts in other towns do?" Noor said.

The journalists also criticized the United Nations Development Program team of six sent here for refusing to respond to journalists' questions. The team visited the province from May 26 to May 28. (38)