Namfrel notes positive features of Indonesian polls

Namfrel notes positive features of Indonesian polls

By Jamil Maidan Flores

JAKARTA (JP): They came, they saw, they were deeply impressed.

That sums up the brief sojourn of the 108 volunteers of the
Philippine National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), who
came to observe the conducting of the June 7 general election.
Namfrel is the longtime watchdog organization on national
elections in the Philippines. Before its stint with the
Indonesian general election, it served in 22 other countries,
including Cambodia in 1998.

So impressed are the Filipino volunteers that they want some
of the things they saw here adopted by the Philippines. That
should sober up a bit the perpetual carnival that is Philippine
politics.

"This is certainly a learning experience for us," said retired
Brig. Gen. Thelmo Cunanan, a former Philippine army commander
general and ambassador to Cambodia who now oversees Namfrel's
field operations. "We came here to help and we also learned a
lot. So it has been mutually beneficial."

Namfrel volunteers praise the Indonesian voting centers --
virtually open areas where everyone can see what is going on --
as practical, sensible and worthy of consideration for adoption
elsewhere. They make the process a great deal more transparent.

In the Philippines, voting almost invariably takes place in a
classroom in a schoolhouse temporarily converted into an election
precinct. What takes place inside the room cannot be observed by
those outside, allowing more opportunity for those who would
engage in intimidation or hanky-panky.

Namfrel volunteers also observed that Indonesian ballots are
signed by three election officials at the polling center. This
procedure makes it more difficult for would-be cheaters to make a
switch of ballot boxes. In the Philippines, only the registry
book is signed by the election officials. In the event of a
switch, there are no signatures that can be examined to tell the
genuine ballots from the fake.

In Indonesia, the election registry card can be used only once
in the election for which the card is issued. The card is
surrendered at the voting precinct, where officials make sure it
is genuine before allowing the bearer to vote. In the
Philippines, the registry card can be used in succeeding
elections, with the possibility of one person's card being used
by another. It is how the dead have "voted" in several Philippine
elections.

The gem of wisdom in the Indonesian election process,
according to Gen. Cunanan, is the cooling-off period, in this
case the 48 hours before the vote, but in previous elections the
week when campaigning was banned before election day. During the
period, the intensity of the campaign charges and counter-charges
are expected to simmer down.

Thus, when the time comes for the voter to make a choice, he
is calm and well disposed to listen to the voice of his
conscience. In the Philippines, the period is limited to 24
hours, not enough time, after a campaign where personal insults
are mixed with political argument, to freeze the urge to kill.

Another pleasant surprise is that during the cooling-off
period here all posters, leaflets and other promotional materials
simply vanish in a cleanup that is remarkable for its
thoroughness. In the Philippines, the country is still flooded
with leaflets on election day and sample ballots are allowed in
the polling places. In many areas, campaign posters remain in
place for months after the elections.

Namfrel volunteers cite another positive aspect that security
personnel are uniformed but unarmed at Indonesian polling
precincts. In the Philippines, unarmed precinct guards would be
easy meat for the armament-toting private armies of political
warlords. "But the presence of armed men at the polling station,
whether they belong to the government or not, is not at all
reassuring either," said Gen. Cunanan.

The many positives of the Indonesian electoral process are
possible, he added, because of the tremendous discipline of
Indonesian voters. They come out early on election day; before
the polling station opens, they are already beginning to line up.
There is no pushing because they follow the rules. When an
objection is raised, polite consultation ensues and the matter is
settled right there and then. In contrast, many Filipino voters
wait for the last possible moment before flying off to the
polling place where in the rush they try to take shortcuts. That
can lead to shrill arguments that escalate to slanging matches;
before the end of the day the matter is being argued before a
judge, in the press or, worse, at some barricade.

Namfrel is not certifying that the June 7 elections have been
absolutely perfect. Indonesian poll officials are not that
familiar with the indelible ink device; in at least two instances
that the volunteers witnessed, the indelible ink turned out to be
very rinsable. But these incidents were too few to matter. More
importantly, Namfrel observed no cases of intimidation (Namfrel
sent its observers to those parts of Indonesia where the greatest
numbers of observers are concentrated).

Namfrel came to Indonesia because the Indonesian government
adopted a policy of welcoming foreign observers, to show the
world that it is capable of a truly democratic political
exercise. Earlier, an Indonesian Rectors Forum went to Manila and
exchanged views with Namfrel and Philippine election authorities.

With its vast international experience and its track record of
foiling highly sophisticated attempts at cheating in the
Philippines, Namfrel felt that it could help. "The Philippines
and all the countries of the region have a stake in the political
stability of Indonesia," said Jose Concepcion Jr., the former
Philippine trade minister who serves as Namfrel chairman. He
quotes ASEAN Vision 2020 as the rationale for Namfrel's presence
in Indonesia.

How, he added, can you create a community of caring societies
in Southeast Asia to solve all the problems of development
without empowering the people? Elections are all about empowering
the people.

"Besides, Indonesia did the Philippines a big favor when it
facilitated the peace talks between the Philippine government and
the MNLF. We should try to return the favor somehow."

Namfrel volunteers were welcomed with open arms everywhere
they went, by the authorities and by the man in the street, who
went out of their way to help them get their mission done. That
has been the first pleasant surprise: too many CNN and BBC clips
created the impression that Indonesians are embittered and riot-
prone. The volunteers found out that Indonesians not only look
like Filipinos, they also behave just like Filipinos in
demonstrating hospitality by plying their guests with food.
Instructed to avoid trouble spots, the grateful volunteers say
the biggest hazard they had to contend with in the field was an
unwanted gain in weight.

Concepcion believes his organization will become part of a
strong regional network of non-governmental organizations working
for the empowerment of people so that they can take their destiny
into their own hands. Gen. Cunanan said Namfrel will be more than
glad if tapped by UNAMET for a stint in East Timor in August.

No one in Namfrel is saying that Indonesia is already out of
the political woods. At this time and even in the months ahead,
the elections can still be stolen from the Indonesian voter. But
one thing is clear: the average Indonesian voter knows how sacred
is the act of suffrage. If only for that he deserves good elected
leaders, a democracy. And if the elections turn out to be
successful, much of it should be credited to his immense social
discipline.

The writer, based in Jakarta, is an observer of Philippine and
Southeast Asian politics.