NGOs demand direct election, current process terminated
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A total of 49 non-governmental organizations on Wednesday demanded that President Megawati Soekarnoputri stop the ongoing Jakarta gubernatorial election process, stressing that it was being carried out undemocratically and against the prevailing regulations.
The NGOs included the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), the Jakarta Social Institute (ISJ), the Jakarta Residents' Forum (Fakta), the Sanggar Ciliwung organization, the Let's Watch organization, Women's Solidarity, the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), and the Society of Indonesian Professionals (MPI).
In their joint communique, the NGOs call for the formation of a caretaker administration tasked with organizing a gubernatorial election where the governor would be chosen directly by the people.
According to the NGOs, the election process should be stopped as the City Council had several times violated the election procedures that it had approved.
The violations included lack of transparency and inconsistency in the selection process; not all candidates were invited to interviews; a gubernatorial candidate was permitted to become a vice gubernatorial candidate, and the number of councillors attending most of the plenary sessions during the selection process did not meet the quorum.
"How can we expect good governance from the next City Administration if we allow this unfair gubernatorial election process to continue," Tubagus Haryo Karbiyanto of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) told the press.
The City Council has selected seven pairings of gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial candidates. The seven pairings of candidates have been reported to the President through the home affairs minister. Among the pairings, incumbent Governor Sutiyoso and City Secretary Fauzi Bowo are the strongest so far, and it would seem that only President Megawati Soekarnoputri could stop them from becoming the next governor and deputy governor of Jakarta.
Other pairings include the deputy chairman of the council, Tarmidi Suhardjo, who is paired off with the secretary-general of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Abdillah Toha, and City Council Chairman Edy Waluyo who is paired with an executive of the United Development Party (PPP) Ahmad Suaidy.
The communique also questioned the integrity of two of the main candidates, Sutiyoso and Tarmidi, as both of them are suspects in criminal cases.
The Jakarta Military Police have named Sutiyoso a suspect in the July 27, 1996, incident when military personnel and civilians attacked supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri. Meanwhile, Tarmidi is a suspect in a corruption case involving the management of the state-owned Ancol amusement complex.
The NGOs said that many of the City Councillors had been involved in money politics during the selection process.
The communique also said that the ongoing selection process had ignored the people's aspiration as the City Council only accommodated the interests of the political parties and the owners of capital.
"Therefore, the process should be stopped and it is time to hold a direct election by the people," said the communique, which was read out during the press conference.
Ratna Sarumpaet, chairwoman of the Governor and Vice Governor Forum, said that the NGOs would follow up on the communique with various forms of action, including public rallies, speeches, and possible occupation of the City Council building.