Mayor quizzed over alleged poll violation

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

The Cirebon Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) has made good on its promise and questioned on Thursday Cirebon Mayor Subardi over an alleged campaign violation.

Subardi was accused of failing to take leave while campaigning for President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Hasyim Muzadi on Sept. 16, the third day of the election run-off campaign period.

"The Panwaslu will hold a plenary meeting after the questioning. If he is found guilty, then we will file a report with police for further investigation," Wasikin Marzuki, the Cirebon Panwaslu chairman, told reporters after a two-hour preliminary questioning on Thursday.

Subardi was asked 40 questions during the closed-door session on his alleged illegal campaigning for Megawati and Hasyim at the Women's Building in Cirebon.

The Cirebon Panwaslu decided to question Subardi regarding his activities after discovering a video compact disc (VCD) showing him participating in a campaign held on Sept. 16 at the building.

Subardi is shown in the footage officiating the establishment of the Mega-Hasyim Campaign Forum, as well as appealing to people gathered at the campaign to vote for Megawati-Hasyim.

The activity was considered a violation of the election law because Subardi had breached the impartiality principle and did not take leave from his official post to campaign.

During the questioning, the Panwaslu charged him with violating Article 40 of Presidential Elections Law No. 23/2003, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail.

The article states that "government officials are prohibited from making decisions or behaving in a manner during the campaign period that could favor a presidential or vice presidential candidate".

The Panwaslu had earlier questioned four witnesses in connection with the case, including Aim Mustaqiem, a district polling committee member, and businessman Oteng Sugiarto.

Emerging from the questioning, Subardi told reporters that he had participated in the campaign in a personal capacity.

He said he had not used state facilities during the campaign, including his official car, and claimed he had attended the campaign during a daily break.

However, Subardi admitted to urging people to vote for Megawati and Hasyim during the campaign.