KIPP told not to let in foreigner

JAKARTA (JP): Noted political observer Rudini has welcomed the new Independent Election Monitoring Committee but questioned the wisdom of inviting a foreign activist to train its members.

The former home affairs minister even suggested that the government take the watchdog as a partner in its campaign to win back people's trust over the fairness of next year's general election.

However he also urged leaders of the new committee not to overstep boundaries by proceeding with its reported plan to have a foreign poll body's activist train Indonesians on the supervision of general elections.

"Inviting the foreign activist is going too far. That means the committee has gone overboard," Rudini said. "A general election is our domestic affair. Why should we invite other people? We can find our own way."

He stressed that there were times when the Armed Forces was in "a poor condition," but Indonesia did not invite other countries' armed forces "to meddle". "What would have happened had we done so?" he asked.

Rudini's opinion was seconded by another observer, Amien Rais of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. He told The Jakarta Post that the independent poll watchdog's plan to invite a foreign poll body's activist was provocative.

"That's not a very strategic move. In fact, it reflects a lack of confidence on the part of the local activists," he said. "The new committee should remember that our public is so sensitive to what they perceive as foreign meddling, that they will question any foreign elements in our political life."

The poll body has reportedly invited Alberto C. Agra, an activist of Namfrel, a poll body in the Philippines, to a series of discussions here on election supervision.

Watchdog activist Santoso said, at the committee's Jakarta branch, however, that the body has actually been establishing its own guidelines for its activists. Its decision to invite the foreign activist was motivated only by a wish to share experiences and exchange views, he said.

Santoso said Rudini's apprehension was probably caused by anxiety. "If one observed the training sessions that we have held for our activities, one wouldn't be anxious, because the materials given were so balanced," he said.

In addition, Agra's visit has been postponed indefinitely as he has reportedly been robbed of his passport, Santoso said. "But we're still going ahead with all of our plans."

Striving to appease some officials' concern over the poll watchdog's potential negative impact, Rudini said the independent poll watchdog and similar organizations do not have the authority to take legal action against violations they may find in the poll.

The bodies can only monitor and will still have to bring any findings of violations to the official Election Supervision Committee, Rudini told The Jakarta Post.

Rudini acknowledged that the establishment of the independent poll watchdog indicated the public's eroded trust of the government.

"Such distrust is normal because most of the state apparatus authorized to organize the general elections are also members of Golkar," he said, referring to the ruling political contestant in the general elections.

He admitted that there were flaws in previous general elections, but called on everybody to recognize improvements that have been made since the 1992 election.

Rudini, who now leads the Institute for Strategic Studies of Indonesia, suggested that officials start a campaign to win back the people's trust in the official Election Supervision Committee's impartiality.

The four million members of the Corps of Civil Servants, mostly supporters of Golkar should be told just to vote for the ruling organization but not campaign for it, Rudini said.

"I have an extreme suggestion, which is impossible to implement right now, but I think all of the state apparatus should be barred from joining any political organizations," he said.

Amien suggested that leaders of the poll body prepare it well, iron out differences between them and put forward a unified stance. "Differences among the leaders will make it a sitting duck for critics," he pointed out.

He also said the public is waiting for it to explain its detailed plans. "For instance, is it going to monitor elections at the regency level, or at every poll booth?"

He said it would be impossible for the poll body to deploy people to monitor ballot casting at the 320,000 poll booths in some 70,000 villages and districts across the country. (swe)