Minor violations mark first direct presidential election
The Jakarta Post, Surakarta/Padang/Jakarta
Violations ranging from allegations of bribery to providing underage people with fake IDs occurred across the country during Monday's election.
In the Central Java town of Surakarta, a man identified as Bejo Siswo Mulyono, was handed over to the police Sunday night for allegedly offering cash to residents of Kedunglumbu village in Pasar Kliwon districts in exchange for the promise of their votes.
Bejo, 42, gave 22 residents Rp 25,000 (US$2.7) each in return for voting for a certain candidate. He was beaten up by supporters of a major party before he was reported to the police.
Pasar Kliwon Police Chief Adj. Comr. Edi Suroso said Bejo admitted that he had money in 25 envelopes. Bejo is being treated at Kustati hospital for his injuries.
Similar violations were also reported in the towns of Wonogiri and Sukohardjo in the province.
In the Central Jakarta district of Kwitang, three girls were arrested Monday morning by the Central Jakarta Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) when they tried to cast their votes using fake ID cards.
The deputy head of the Central Jakarta branch of Panwaslu, Dedi Suhardadi said that Panwaslu had suspected there were about 200 people from outside Kwitang casting votes using cards with fake names and addresses.
"Before the election, we found that there were 200 names at one address, Jl. Kramat Kwitang 2D No. 46, on the voter list from the Central Jakarta General Elections Committee (KPU)," Dedi said.
Therefore, he said, the local Panwaslu staff had prepared a list of suspicious names.
He added that the girls told him they were registered as voters in Kwitang by a resident identified as Habib Fuad al Habsyi. A resident of Kwitang who requested anonymity said that Habsyi was known in the area as a member of campaign team of one of the candidates.
In Padang a campaign sticker bearing images of Wiranto and Solahuddin was found on a table of the polling booth in South Ulakkarang district, Padang West Sumatra.
"I got an SMS from a resident telling me about the sticker. When I checked it out, I found it," Padang's Election Supervisory Committee chief M. Rifki said.
"We are still trying to find out who had intentionally put the sticker there," Rifki said
Another violation occurred in a polling station in West Padang district when local officers decided to separate men and women voters and put their votes in separate boxes.
He said that his committee had asked the officers to mix the ballots before the count took place.
Panwaslu member Didik Supriyanto acknowledged on Monday that the committee had received many reports of violations.
One of them says that dozens of students from the Az-Zaitun Islamic boarding school were allegedly forced by their teachers to choose a certain candidate, he said.
The committee also received reports of several people voting twice in Sleman, Yogyakarta and Brebes, Central Java, he said.
The election officers could not spot them because they had fake ID cards and had been able to remove the ink, which is supposed to be applied after voting and is supposed nearly impossible to remove.
"All the criminal violations will be reported to the police, but if the violations are of an administrative nature we will report them to the KPU," he said.