Journalists protest poll watchdogs

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)