Major parties violate election campaign rules
JAKARTA (JP): Major parties have committed gross violations of election campaign rules, official supervisory organizations and independent watchdogs reported on Sunday.
The parties most often cited in the reports were the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN).
The most common violations reported included insulting rival parties, removal of party banners, offering rewards to potential voters, carrying weapons and unruly street rallies endangering lives and disrupting traffic.
In Semarang, the Central Java Election Supervisory Committee issued strong warnings to PDI Perjuangan, Golkar, PPP, PKB and PAN for violating electoral laws during their first round of campaigning.
The committee's deputy chief, Novel Ali, promised on Saturday "harsh punishment" if the parties' leaders failed to discipline their supporters.
The committee put PKB at the top of the list of most rowdy parties. Its supporters organized illegal street rallies, clashed with PDI Perjuangan and PPP supporters and carried weapons.
In Surabaya, a ban from campaigning slapped on PDI Perjuangan by the provincial committee went unheeded on Saturday. Thousands of its supporters took to the streets and turned the city into a sea of red, the party's color.
The party topped the list of worst offenders with 47 violations. PKB followed in second place with 18 cases, while PBB was applauded for committing only one offense.
"We don't need to heed the ban as long as they (the committee) does not have hard evidence," said Soetikno, chairman of the Surabaya PDI Perjuangan chapter.
Meanwhile, the University Network for Free and Fair Elections (Unfrel) reported that Golkar had committed money politics in three subdistricts in Langkat, North Sumatra.
Destanul Aulia, who coordinates Unfrel activities in North Sumatra, said Golkar officials offered 16 dozen T-shirts, 225 books on Islam and 48 prayer mats to poor Muslim families.
The party offered free circumcision to 20 children, free identification cards and the provision of sports equipment to villagers committed to vote for Golkar next month, Antara reported.
Destanul said he had referred his findings to provincial Golkar officials and was only told the alleged activities were illegal.
Earlier, Unfrel activists in Riau announced they would not go to the Natuna islands and other isolated places on the grounds that their security was not guaranteed and that there were no regular boats to the areas.
They claimed that on a trial run visit to several isolated islands on May 20 they were intimidated by locals, security officers and government officials.
The area with the most violations of scheduled campaign venues is Greater Jakarta, according to the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP).
Yoppie Renyaan, chief of the Jakarta KIPP presidium, said 20 cases occurred in East Jakarta, 19 in West Jakarta, 14 in North Jakarta, 13 in South Jakarta, 19 in Central Jakarta, 22 in Tangerang, 13 in Depok and 15 in Bekasi.
KIPP, which claims to have fielded 5,586 volunteers across Indonesia, also recorded as widespread the practice of insulting rival parties and instigating supporters to do the same.
The independent committee also recorded misuse of state facilities, places of worship and that members of the military and civil servants were campaigning.
Also on Saturday, PDI Perjuangan announced it would look into a finding by the independent Network for National Election Monitoring (Jappin) that one of its supporters carried a gun in a campaign. (nur/pan)