Officials campaigned early, says Panwaslu

Officials campaigned early, says Panwaslu

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

West Java's Purwakarta Regent Lili Hambali Hasan has been
implicated in an unlawful campaign to support President Megawati
Soekarnoputri in the Sept. 20 election runoff, the General
Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) said on Monday.

The committee said it had found evidence Lili and Golkar Party
central board member Ade Komaruddin initiated a meeting in which
they instructed 208 village and subdistrict leaders to campaign
for Megawati.

"In the meeting, which took place on Aug. 16, Ade and the
regent disseminated information about the Golkar Party central
board's decision to support Megawati in the runoff, which had
little relevance to the activities of the village and subdistrict
heads" committee official Didik Supriyanto said here.

Didik also questioned why Ade was present at the meeting.

A day before the meeting, Golkar announced its support for
Megawati and her running mate, Hasyim Muzadi, who face Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla in the runoff.

Golkar leaders have ordered the party rank and file to tell
party supporters to vote in line with the decision.

Purwakarta regional Panwaslu officers are now questioning the
village and subdistrict heads who attended the meeting.

Regional Panwaslu chairman Anang Abdul Razak, who is
investigating the alleged violation of election law, said the
meeting involved an instruction for the local leaders to campaign
and vote for Megawati in the runoff.

"Some of the village heads who came to the meeting admitted
they had been given such an order," he said.

Anang said, if necessary, the regional Panwaslu would also
summon Ade and Lili.

Ade, who is a House of Representatives legislator, could not
immediately be reached for comment.

The allegations came shortly after Minister of Home Affairs
Hari Sabarno asked all state officials nationwide to remain
neutral in the elections.

Panwaslu member Topo Santoso, however, said the supervisory
committee would face problems in applying Law No. 22/2003 on
presidential elections to the case as the meeting had taken place
outside of the designated campaign period.

"The runoff election has only a three-day campaign period and
the meeting took place before the official campaigning starts.
State officials can only be charged with violating the law for
activities conducted during the campaign period," Topo said.

However, he said state officials, especially Lili, could be
charged under the Law No. 22/1999 on regional governance.

"Article 48 (of the law) clearly stipulates that state
officials are prohibited from creating policies favoring certain
social or political groups," Topo said.

He said Panwaslu would recommend the home ministry charge the
state officials under the law.

"We will make the recommendation; the same way we dealt with
partiality allegations leveled against (Banjarnegara Police
chief) Mapparesa," Topo said, referring to Sr. Comr. Andi Aflus
Mapparesa who was caught on video-tape campaigning for Megawati.

Panwaslu said Mapparesa had violated the electoral law and
recommended National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar
take disciplinary action against him.

Mapparesa was summoned to Jakarta shortly after the case
became public. A decision on his case is expected this week.