Major parties violate election campaign rules

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)