JP/2/zaytun

JP/2/zaytun

Probe into Al-Zaytun revote boycott urged

Nana Rukmana
Indramayu

More than 11,500 voters from the Al-Zaytun Islamic boarding
school boycotted the presidential election revote on Sunday, but
committee officials declared the poll results valid, while
observers called for a criminal investigation into the matter.

No voters had shown up to cast ballots by the 1 p.m. deadline.
Thirty-nine polling stations had been set up outside the school
complex in Indramayu, West Java.

Indramayu election commission member Agung Mardiyanto said
Sunday's poll annulled the 24,818 votes cast during the July 5
election at Al-Zaytun, the largest Islamic boarding school in
Southeast Asia.

"With the revote results, none of the five presidential pairs
get votes. The rerun is valid. All witnesses and campaign teams
of the presidential candidates have approved it," Agung said.

General Elections Commission (KPU) member Anas Urbaningrum and
West Java poll committee official Fery Kurnia Rifkiansyah, who
both witnessed the revote, confirmed the outcome of the rerun was
lawful.

They said the no-show of a single voter during the election
repeat was not a "substantial problem".

"What's important to us is that the revote has been held in
compliance with prevailing procedures," Anas argued.

However, deputy director of the Center for Electoral Reform
(Cetro) Hadar Navis Gumay, who also witnessed the rerun, said the
absence of voters was strange.

"It should be investigated thoroughly," Hadar said.

He argued that the boycott could be categorized as a violation
of the Election Law, which carries a jail sentence.

"If a boycott is proven, it (Al-Zaytun) could be charged under
Article 90 (1) of Law No. 23/2003 on presidential elections. The
crime could result in a three-month jail term and maximum fine of
Rp 100 million (US$11,111)," Hadar added.

He said the boycott tainted the whole process of the
presidential election.

Agung Mardiyanto further said that there was an indication
that no one would show up to vote when not one person had
registered for the revote at Al-Zaytun by the July 22 deadline.

The local committee had also sent an invitation to the school
asking voters there to turn up on Sunday. It was rejected by the
school.

Al-Zaytun director A.S. Panji Gumilang said there was no need
for the school's residents, including teachers, students and
employees, to vote again.

The July 5 election, held at 83 polling stations inside the
school compound, was valid, he argued.

The revote was held following alleged vote-rigging at Al-
Zaytun during the July 5 election.

The KPU then decided to invalidate the 24,818 votes cast as
they were cast by people mostly mobilized from outside the
school. Almost all of them voted for Wiranto-Solahuddin Wahid.

The number of people registered to vote at Al-Zaytun was only
11,500 in the April 5 legislative election.

The election revote was marred by a protest by dozens of
supporters of presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri, the
incumbent president.

The protesters, led by Megawati's Indramayu campaign team
Sukamto, slammed the holding of the revote.

"We denounce the repeat election because the KPU failed to
take legal action over breaches during the July 5 poll, which
forced it to hold a revote," Sukamto said.

He claimed the poor turnout indicated that the KPU had not
been serious in organizing the revote at Al-Zaytun.