Panwaslu clears police in another poll bias case

Panwaslu clears police in another poll bias case

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post/Medan

The North Sumatra Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) said
on Thursday -- after questioning only two of some 40 students
witnesses -- that it would discontinue its investigation of the
Medan Police over charges of partiality ahead of the election.

The committee refused to hear the testimonies of other
students who attended a meeting on July 24, during which police
allegedly asked them to back the incumbent, President Megawati
Soekarnoputri in next month's runoff.

Panwaslu had earlier claimed that two students, identified
only by their initials H and S, had gone missing after revealing
the partiality case to the media, as they failed to answer its
summonses.

However, the report was denied on Thursday by Safrizal, a
member of the Indonesian Muslim Student Movement (PMII), who said
the students did not flee, nor tried to evade Panwaslu's
questioning.

"They are currently in Medan and in good shape. They were not
the victims of intimidation," Safrizal told The Jakarta Post.

He said H and S were ready to comply with Panwaslu's
summonses, should the committee call on other students who
attended the meeting to testify.

"H and S will appear before Panwaslu members if they are
summoned through an official letter, unlike the case so far,
which has seen them summoned via cell phone calls," Safrizal
added.

However, deputy chairman of the North Sumatra Panwaslu Jannes
Hutahaen said it was too late for H and S to testify, arguing
that the probe into the partiality case was already closed.

The committee no longer needed additional statements from
witnesses after questioning on Monday Syamsuddin Tarigan and Oka
Alam Syahputra, who were both at the meeting, he said.

Jannes said that based on the testimonies of Tarigan and Oka
-- as well as Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Bagus and intelligence
unit deputy chief Adj. Comr. I Gusti KB Harry Sara -- Panwaslu
said the evidence was not enough to show that the Medan Police
mobilized student support for the Megawati-Hasyim ticket.

Similarly, another Panwaslu member Yulhasni argued that his
office had several times summoned H and S for questioning, but to
no avail.

"If they want to testify, it's too late. The case is already
closed," he said.

H and S had revealed that the July 24 meeting, organized by
Megawati-Hasyim's campaign team member Arwin Harahap at the
Garuda restaurant in Medan -- along with local police officers --
was designed to mobilize support for the President.

At the forum, according to H and S, police officers indirectly
encouraged the 40 students there to vote for a civilian
candidate.

Megawati is set to challenge her former chief security
minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired Army general who was
the front-runner in the first round of the presidential election.

Sr. Comr. Andi Mapparesa was removed as Banyumas Police chief
in Central Java, after he made a speech that appeared to be in
support of Megawati's candidacy.

Questions were also asked of the Yogyakarta Police when
thousands of T-shirts bearing Megawati's picture were found at
police headquarters.