North Sulawesi election committee votes to rehold polls
North Sulawesi election committee votes to rehold polls
JAKARTA (JP): The North Sulawesi provincial election committee
decided on Saturday to rehold the polls on the grounds that the
June 7 general election was marred by vote buying and
intimidation by officials from the government and Golkar Party.
The dramatic decision came in a tense meeting when the
majority of the committee's members -- consisting of
representatives of the 48 parties contesting the polls and the
government -- voted for repolling.
Golkar and government representatives objected to the motion
but were forced to accede to the majority vote, Antara reported.
Provincial election committee chairman F. Sumampouw said he
hoped the National Election Committee in Jakarta would endorse
the wish of the majority in North Sulawesi to allow the vote to
be rescheduled soon.
Golkar, which reportedly received strong backing from the
local government bureaucracy, is ahead in the provisional vote
tabulation.
It has been accused of vote buying and using government and
military officials in its campaign. Critics cite the numerous
bureaucrats and military officers on its list of legislative
candidates.
Abdullah, a government representative on the committee,
acknowledged that cases of rigging may have occurred, but
believed they were blown out of proportion.
"I wish the decision was not based solely on individual or
party's individual interests," he said. "Everybody should have
been prudent."
During the meeting, about 200 supporters from different
political parties staged a noisy protest outside the building and
another 600 held a demonstration outside the governor's office.
They supported the restaging of the polls.
The demand also was endorsed by 18 of the 39 political parties
with chapters in North Sulawesi.
Meanwhile, two districts in Central Java and West Sumatra also
called for the vote to be repeated due to alleged vote rigging by
Golkar and government officials.
In the Central Java district of Suwowono near Semarang, the
demand was voiced by the National Awakening Party (PKB), National
Mandate Party (PAN) and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P).
Activists of the three parties claimed that Golkar distributed
leaflets on June 6, the eve of the polls, instructing people to
vote for the party.
The leaflets also carried Golkar's promise of cheap loans for
farmers who voted for the party, they added.
Central Java election supervisory committee deputy chief Novel
Ali said he would look into the report.
In Pasaman district, West Sumatra, 15 political parties also
requested the local election committee repeat the polls, alleging
that Golkar contravened the electoral laws.
Secretary of the West Sumatra provincial election committee
Dasman Lanin told Antara the demand would likely be met but only
in polling places where rigging was proven to have occurred.
In their complaints to the committee, the 15 parties claimed
that Golkar used district chiefs, village chiefs and civilian
guards (hansip) to help in its campaign.
Several Golkar legislative candidates distributed liquor in
Pinagar village ahead of election day, ballot boxes were opened
without witnesses and village chiefs received Rp 100,000 each
from Golkar, they alleged.
Complainants included PAN, PDI-P, PKB, the United Development
Party (PPP), Justice Party (PK), Justice and Unity Party (PKP)
and Crescent Star Party (PBB).
Separately in Jakarta, an alliance of five independent
election monitoring committees opposed the National Election
Committee's decision to hold the polls in Pidie, North Aceh and
East Aceh. The government postponed the June 7 vote in the
troubled regencies of Aceh province because of separatist
hostilities. The election law allows the postponement to last up
to 30 days.
The networks of JAMPPI, JPPR, Unfrel, Walhi and Yapika said in
a joint statement on Saturday that it was impossible to hold free
and safe polls in the regencies,
"Security personnel are still on guard and patrolling the
regencies, shooting with rebels is ongoing and 91,000 Acehnese
who have sought refuge from intimidation have yet to return," the
statement said.
The election monitoring committees were not prepared, they
said, indicated by the request to have 1,000 students of Muslim
boarding schools replace them. The students rejected the request.
The poll networks pledged cooperation with the National
Elections Committee if it was committed to carrying out free and
fair elections in the three regencies. But they urged the
committee to directly assess the situation in the regencies
before proceeding with the vote. (pan/har/rms)