Local and foreign observers differ on poll assessment

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta

While local observers declined to call the July 5 polls free and fair, the Carter Center and other foreign monitoring teams said on Wednesday that they were impressed by the way in which the election had proceeded.

"It was an honest, fair and safe election," former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who chairs the center, announced after a 15-minute meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

He said, despite some minor problems, the Carter Center considered that the electoral process was honest and transparent, overall. "We are particularly grateful that it has been safe," Carter added.

Similar praise was aired by the delegation of the European Union (EU), which also met with Megawati on Wednesday, and the Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI).

"The presidency takes the opportunity to commend the people and government of Indonesia for the generally peaceful and open manner in which this round has taken place, and expresses confidence that these elections will contribute to the deepening of the democratic process in Indonesia," said a statement from the Dutch government, as president of the EU, released to The Jakarta Post.

NDI director Paul Rowland also lauded the peaceful election. "The KPU (General Elections Commission) and political parties should be congratulated. But, Indonesians deserve much credit as they had the responsibility to show their leaders where they want to go," he said.

He said the direct election was a remarkable indication of progress in Indonesia, which has been struggling for six years in its transition to democracy.

"This is the largest direct presidential election in the world. It is the first for Indonesia and ran quite smoothly -- so far," Rowland said.

Carter also said the KPU deserved credit for undertaking such a huge task.

However, he criticized the commission over the double-puncture debacle, which spoiled the positive mood of the election.

"The commission made a serious mistake in that it did not anticipate the problem of dual punctures," he said.

Carter said the election marked another important step in Indonesia's democratic consolidation. "In just a few years, Indonesia has made a dramatic transition from authoritarian rule to democracy," he added.

The Carter Center said it would issue a more comprehensive report on the overall electoral process.

The reports of local independent observers, however, were not so glowing. Earlier on Wednesday, the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro), the People's Network for Voter Education (JPPR) and the People's Network for Elections Monitoring (JAMPPI) claimed the electoral process was far from free and fair.

"One of many indications of whether an election is fair is that equal treatment is given to candidates at polling stations. We do not believe that transpired," Cetro executive director Smita Notosusanto said.

In a joint statement, the independent observers said irregularities had also marred the July 5 election.

In their preliminary analysis, the election teams discovered a great number of unregistered voters, who poll committees (PPS) allowed to vote.

Cetro, in its observation, found that 32 percent of voters in over 1,400 polling stations were permitted to vote, even though they were not registered.

The JPPR found that, at over 1,200 polling stations, 10 percent of voters were "intimidated" by other voters, campaign teams and poll committees.

The three poll watchdogs had deployed over 130,000 observers to monitor the presidential election across the country.