Observers differ on 1999 poll credibility

Edith Hartanto and Moch N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Activists do not seem to see eye to eye when it comes to assessing the 1999 election but all agree that the upcoming election has to be better.

Wandy Tuturoong, Adi Abidin and Roberto Hutabarat of the Asia Foundation said on Wednesday their institution had proof that the election was quite credible. But members of the General Election Commission (KPU) said that it was less so.

Wandy, Adi and Roberto pointed at the outstanding voter turnout, tight observation of ballot transportation and nonpartisan vote verification as the basis of their assessment.

"It was the first time we saw an election run well in terms of democracy and credibility compared to those conducted during the Soeharto's regime," Wandy said.

The three experts were asked to comment on the 1999 election in connection with the election bill currently being discussed at the House of Representatives.

The high voter turnout was the main criteria in measuring the 1999 poll credibility, Wandy said.

The foundation data shows that 96 percent of the ballots of the 127.6 million registered voters were legitimate in the 1999 election, compared to only 87 percent in the 1997 poll.

"It's incredible to see the very high turnout. People were not mobilized by the government as in the previous elections (during Soeharto's era)," he said.

KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti told The Jakarta Post earlier this week that the 2,400 cases of unresolved election violations had reduced the 1999 poll's credibility.

"Those cases should have been dealt with, but instead they were all stuck in the Supreme Court due to various reasons, including the law enforcers' ineptitude and the fact that the legal proceedings would take too long," Ramlan said.

if the cases were handled properly via a special ad hoc trial to speed up the process, the country would have had a much more credible 1999 poll, Ramlan argued, adding that of all the cases, only four had been resolved.

Asked to comment on the issue Roberto said he agreed the cases must be resolved.

The foundation also noted the result of ballots calculation carried out independently by poll watchers matched those of the General Election Commission (KPU).

"When we calculated 70 percent of the ballots, we found Golkar party was running second behind the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI Perjuangan). Many of us, who are activists, were saddened by the results, but that was the political reality," he said.

However, he admitted, the foundation found a limited number of violations but they were isolated cases which did not significantly affect the election results.

Wandy said the 2004 election had to be better than the 1999 election despite the foundation appraisal that 1999 poll was quite credible.

"Many problems, occurring during and after the 1999 election. One of the flaws in the 1999 election law was the proportional electoral system in which people had to choose political parties rather than individuals," he said.

Roberto said that the 1999 poll used 300,000 ballot booths, the largest number in the world, while the total election violations were only about 2,400 cases.

He admitted that poll observers uncovered "dawn attacks", the practice of offering money or food to voters at dawn.

But it did not deter people from choosing freely when they were in the voting booth, he said.

Besides, these violations also happen in other countries holding elections such as in the Scandinavian countries where people are offered vodka, he added.

Furthermore, he argued, the ludicrous over-100 percent voter turnout common during the Soeharto's years had significantly decreased.

It also means that monitoring by poll observers to guard ballots boxes up to the provincial level had successfully minimized any ballot manipulation, he added.

The Asia Foundation was one of the facilitators of the 1999 poll-observer activity in the country.

A total of 48 political parties took part in the 1999 poll; 21 of them won seats in the legislative body. The remaining parties only gained 6.3 percent but it was not enough to get any seats.

Many agreed that the 1999 poll was the most democratic election over the past four decades.

Wandy urged legislators to heed people's demand to produce a better election law in a bid to provide ground rules for direct elections of the president and legislators and the formation of an autonomous KPU.

Legislators seem to have ignored those demands and progress in the election bill deliberation appears sluggish, as they claim they have to wait for the planned amendment to the 1945 Constitution in August.