Minor electoral laws violation, say observers

Minor electoral laws violation, say observers

JAKARTA (JP): Preliminary findings of poll observers on Monday
revealed that despite minor violations of the electoral laws, the
general election proceeded mostly peaceful.

Prominent international observers traveled around the five
mayoralties of Jakarta.

Former United States president Jimmy Carter visited a number
of polling places, including Rempoa in Ciputat, South Jakarta.
Carter, who leads a 100-member delegation of international
observers, closely observed the poll process, including the
opening and the closing of the elections.

A leading figure of the European Union (EU) Election
Observation Unit, John Gwyn Morgan, visited polling places in
three mayoralties -- North, West and Central Jakarta. He also
monitored the implementation of the electoral laws and
procedures.

A tour of the city was also conducted by leaders of the
Philippines' National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections
(Namfrel) and the Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free Elections
(Anfrel).

Namfrel chairman Jose Concepcion Jr. led a delegation around
the city to observe the election process in red-light districts,
slum areas, downtown, a residential site dominated by Indonesian-
Indians and business areas. He also observed voting at Salemba
Penitentiary in Central Jakarta and at a Menteng area, also in
Central Jakarta, close to former president Soeharto's residence.

Concepcion told The Jakarta Post that he paid particular
attention to the use of indelible ink. As a precaution against
multiple voting, all voters were required to dip a finger in
black, indelible ink. Preparations had been colored by reports of
inferior ink being distributed to many areas across the country,
including Jakarta.

Similarly, Anfrel chairman Gen. (ret) Sayud Kerdphol toured a
number of the city's polling places.

Namfrel

Preliminary reports of Namfrel on Monday said that the opening
hours of the elections were generally orderly and peaceful.

"Namfrel volunteers, who visited 341 polling places in 41
towns and cities in Java and Bali today, noted that the
procedures for an orderly election as laid down by the General
Elections Committee (KPU) were generally observed," said the
report, copies of which were made available to the media.

The reports said officials of the polling places were seen to
be serious about their job, while ballot boxes and the contents
were properly secured on arrival at the polling places and opened
in front of the officials, party witnesses and local and
international observers.

Namfrel observers also noted that in general measures were
taken to ensure the secrecy of the ballots and civilian security
was adequate. "No episodes of intimidation were reported from the
field," Namfrel noted.

However, a number of Namfrel observers found at some polling
places in West Java that the supposedly indelible ink washed off,
while in several polling places in Malang mayoralty, East Java,
voters' fingers were not inspected for traces of indelible ink
prior to voting. Also in Malang, there was a report of indelible
ink arriving with the tally sheets, but not in the padlocked
ballot box as required.

Meanwhile, in Semarang, Central Java, a volunteer reported a
ballot box was missing in the opening hour, delaying voting. Also
from Central Java, Namfrel volunteers found that some ballots had
been tampered with as they had pre-punched holes.

Assembled information from East Jakarta, Central Java and
Yogyakarta reported that campaign materials, such as posters,
were found within 200 meters of polling places. KPU rulings
regulate that polling places are supposed to be void of such
materials. In Bandung, volunteers of the Rectors Forum were
denied admittance into polling places.

In North Jakarta, Namfrel observers obtained reports of
discrepancies between the number of registered voters and the
ballots inside the ballot boxes in some polling places. (imn)