More violence predicted ahead of general election

More violence predicted ahead of general election

JAKARTA (JP): Observers have painted a gloomy picture of
Indonesia before and after the June 7 general election, an
election in which they said violence would prevail.

Speaking in a discussion entitled Potential for Conflict
around the General Election, Hermawan Sulistyo of the Indonesian
Institute of Science said on Thursday that there would be
frequent outbreaks of violence in the run-up to and after the
polls.

"There will be no clashes which are as massive in size as
those seen in the past due to the absence of ideological rivalry,
but there will definitely be regular outbreaks of localized
violence," he said.

A series of clashes recently flared up between supporters of
the National Awakening Party and the United Development Party in
Central Java. Four people died in the most recent clash, which
took place in Jepara last Friday.

Hermawan was discussing a study which concluded that many
parts of Indonesia were prone to unrest triggered by
socioeconomic disparities and public distrust of government
institutions.

The results of the study, conducted jointly by Trisakti
University research center, the Research Institute for Democracy
and Peace and alumni of Bandung Institute of Technology grouped
in Suara 234, was presented on Thursday.

Hermawan said party leaders could make things worse if they
failed to reach a peaceful consensus or were not prepared to
accept defeat.

"In many cases peace accords between conflicting groups are
only reached with government coercion. (Under these
circumstances) party leaders can agree to a truce, but they
cannot not prevent their grassroots supporters from brawling with
each other," he said.

Hermawan said party leaders could reduce the potential for
violence if they conducted wise campaigns.

"They should not focus on socioeconomic inequalities in poor
areas, and should avoid talking about religious issues in
territories dominated by a single religious group," Hermawan
said.

Ban

Meanwhile in Yogyakarta, the provincial election supervisory
committee imposed a ban on two cabinet ministers, Akbar Tandjung
and Hamzah Haz, from campaigning for their respective parties in
the province.

Deputy chairman of the committee, Mohammad Mahfud, said on
Thursday that the decision was based on a General Elections
Commission (KPU) stipulation banning political parties from
recruiting government officials, including ministers, for
campaign rallies.

"Both the KPU and the President have agreed to allow the two
ministers to campaign due to their positions as chairmen of their
respective parties, but we find the agreement is not legitimate,"
Mahfud said, adding that the KPU's decision to take a relaxed
view of the matter had violated its own rules.

Akbar, who is Minister/State Secretary, chairs the ruling
Golkar Party, while Hamzah, who is State Minister of Investment,
is the chairman of the United Development Party (PPP).

KPU chairman Rudini has said both Akbar and Hamzah will be
exempt from the rule, provided they take leave of absence and are
replaced in the government by temporary presidential appointees
for the duration of the campaign period, which runs from May 19
to June 4.

Akbar has announced he will take leave of absence, while
Hamzah has said he intends to resign from the cabinet in order to
join the campaign.

A member of the Election Supervisory Committee, Dadang Hawari,
said he supported the Yogyakarta poll supervisory body's
decision. "We basically agreed with the provincial election
committee's decision to ban cabinet ministers from campaigning
here, but we'd better talk about the matter with both the KPU and
the President," Dadang said after meeting Mahfud.

Antara reported from Surabaya that the Eastern Naval Base has
made available at least 29 warships to help the military maintain
security during the election.

The Naval base has also reserved a further 21 ships and 17
aircraft to back up the fleet already prepared for the polls.
(44/amd)