Observers tell KPU to speed up pace

JAKARTA (JP): A United States-based poll watchdog has suggested the General Elections Commission (KPU) speed up the tabulation and announcement of election results, warning that the poll's credibility would otherwise be eroded.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the National Democratic Institute and Carter Center International Election Observation Mission raised concerns over delays in the poll results and internal conflicts within the KPU.

"There is a danger that the extraordinary commitment to democracy shown by the Indonesian people on June 7, and the impressive effort demonstrated by large numbers of members of the election administration, party agents and domestic observers both before and after polling will be dissipated," the mission said.

Ballot counting has been running at a snail's pace. As of Wednesday, the KPU had counted less than 60 percent of an estimated 117 million votes, according to its Website. The official count conducted by the National Elections Committee (PPI) is expected to finish on Thursday, nine days after the tallying commenced.

The PPI counted ballots in Bengkulu and Southeast Sulawesi on Wednesday, but failed to wrap up the national vote count after an aircraft for the North Sulawesi Provincial Elections Committee delegation was grounded due to engine failure.

PPI deputy chairman Hasballah M. Saad said the final ballot count would start at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The schedule was dependent on the 5 p.m. flight arrival of the North Sulawesi election officials.

Hasballah reiterated that the official poll results would be announced on July 21. The KPU had earlier set a July 8 deadline for the announcement of the national tally.

The vote count was delayed on Wednesday for half an hour after the Southeast Sulawesi Provincial Elections Committee submitted an incomplete official poll report, signed by only six of the 43 committee members.

Election supervisory committee deputy chairman Mulyana Kusumah ruled that counting must continue because the provincial poll body's delegation did not question the validity of the tabulated poll results.

The U.S. election monitoring mission, which sent a team led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said a balance must be struck between the need for rapid tabulations and the time necessary to produce credible results.

"Unfortunately, the delays of the past several weeks do not always appear to have been motivated by a desire to increase the transparency and legitimacy of the process, but sometimes by a dissatisfaction with the will of the Indonesian people as expressed through the ballot box," the statement said.

The mission warned the KPU against political bargaining assessment and approval of the poll results, in the wake of moves by small parties facing political oblivion.

A group of parties have protested a government regulation which allows the Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwas) to validate the poll results, despite being rejected by the majority of KPU representatives. The government announced on Wednesday that the ruling would stand.

Despite the problems faced by the KPU, the mission found the delays did not appear to have been caused by, nor created the opportunity for, significant manipulation of the election results.

It said there were some examples of localized manipulation of the counting and tabulation, but, significantly, there was no evidence to support allegations of widespread or significant fraud or tampering designed to benefit any particular party or parties.

The mission also uncovered the presence of "ghost" polling places, which had not existed, but were added to the tabulation.

In addition, the mission exposed discrepancies in Maluku, where the total number of votes cast was 9 percent greater than the number of registered voters.

"If in fact evidence is found ... then the KPU and Panwas must act firmly to address these problems through prosecution of the perpetrators and through possible repolling," it said.

Separately, European Union observers, who also monitored the elections, said the polls were fair and transparent, despite the slow vote count.

"I am still a little concerned at the slowness, but I believe personally that the count will be finished in a very short space of time now," chief EU observer John Morgan told a news conference winding up the EU operation.

The EU mission attributed the bickering in the KPU to its lack of independence. It said KPU members ideally comprised nonpartisan persons, whom the public recognized for their credibility and integrity.

In regard to the recruitment of provincial representatives at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) by provincial legislatures, the U.S. mission suggested representatives be drawn from across the spectrum within the province, rather than chosen entirely by the dominant local parties.

"It might be desirable for all provincial legislatures to conduct their elections on the same day in order to prevent a "snowball effect" in the overall makeup of the provincial representation on the MPR," said the mission.(imn/amd)