KPU criticized over a number of 'biased' ads in dailies
KPU criticized over a number of 'biased' ads in dailies
Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta
The General Elections Commission (KPU) is being criticized for
its information campaign in a number of dailies instructing
voters how to vote in the presidential elections, which is seen
as benefiting the incumbent Megawati Soekarnoputri.
The ads aim to point out samples of valid and invalid votes in
the July 5 direct presidential election, the first in the
country's history.
However questions were raised over the portrayal of ballot
papers that all have symbolic silhouettes of the presidential and
vice presidential candidates. The examples shown of a valid vote,
have the symbols of two females or a female and male, while all
examples of invalid votes happen to have the silhouettes of two
men. The silhouettes of the women are shown with their hair in a
bun and the men are wearing the peci (cap). The only woman
candidate is President Megawati who is running with Hasyim
Muzadi.
KPU member Valina Singka Subekti, who is responsible for the
ads, was not available for comment on Monday.
Adrianto, a reader of detik.com complained to the on-line news
service that "perhaps educated people would understand (that the
symbols do not refer to any candidate) but the majority of our
people would not understand".
A member of the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu)
Didik Supriyanto expressed surprise that although the KPU might
have aimed to portray gender equality, infomercials from KPU in
the past had neutral, gender-less symbols. "But if no other party
complains it's not a problem," he said.
Political analyst Ikrar Nusa Bhakti agreed on Monday that the
information campaigns might be misleading.
"I don't know whether this was done intentionally by certain
KPU officials, but the KPU has violated its own internal
agreement on a neutral figure or symbol for their election ads,"
Ikrar said.
The KPU should withdraw the ads immediately or it may face
legal action from other presidential candidates, which would
foster distrust for the KPU, he said. Though seen as a body of
idealists given that most of its staffers are university
lecturers, the KPU has already come under fire from the flaws in
the April legislative election. It has already faced several
formal complaints lodged with the Constitutional Court by
political parties following the election.
Ali Mochtar, a member of the campaign team for candidate
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said that he would file an official
protest with the KPU, and urged the commission to withdraw the
ads or face litigation.
"We have discussed the ads with Susilo and his running mate
Jusuf Kalla. This is unfair ... The KPU has taken the side of a
certain presidential candidate. We urge them to withdraw the ads
immediately or we will sue," said Ali.
Ali said that the ads are misleading, especially for those who
are uneducated, as it clearly shows that the valid votes have a
picture of a man and a woman, while the example of an invalid
vote depicts two men wearing a peci.