Panwaslu commits to uphold election rules
Panwaslu commits to uphold election rules
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Taking the 1999 general elections as a lesson, the Elections
Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) has promised to improve
supervision of the election process and follow up on any reports
of offenses and pass them on to the National Police.
Panwaslu member Didik Supriyanto said supervision would play a
pivotal role to ensure a fair and honest election.
"Supervision will help improve the people's trust in the
results of the elections," he said during a discussion organized
by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) here on
Saturday.
He said of the 4,290 cases of election rules violations
reported to Panwaslu in 1999, only 26 of them were brought to
court. Just four of those cases resulted in a guilty verdict.
The 1999 general election received world recognition as the
most democratic polls the country had organized since 1955.
Despite the weak law enforcement, people generally were
accepting of the results in 1999, because most could understand
that it was all prepared in a very brief time, Didik said.
He said, however, that the country had ample time to prepare
for this year's elections. Therefore without proper law
enforcement, people would not trust the results of the elections.
"That is why Panwaslu must prove its commitment," he said.
The presence of police personnel and prosecutors in the
Panwaslu was expected to help improve the performance of the
supervisory committee.
Didik, an editor with detikcom news portal, disclosed that
Panwaslu in regional chapters had reported numerous violations to
the local police.
Fake diplomas submitted by legislative candidates, alleged
support by current mayors or regents of certain political parties
and early campaigns were the most prevalent of the violations
reported to Panwaslu, according to Didik.
"There are reports of favoritism toward certain parties in
Central Java because, of the 34 regents and mayors in the
province only seven are non-partisan," he said.
Political analyst Arbi Sanit, who also spoke at the
discussion, expressed his optimism that the upcoming elections
would not only run peacefully but also produce quality leaders.
He admitted, though, that he had neither data nor other
concrete reasons to convince people about his optimistic
forecast.
"Of course I believe the elections will bring advantages to
the country. The election must produce solutions to the many
crises the nation is facing," Arbi of the University of Indonesia
(UI) said.
He said only people who have integrity, capability, managerial
skills, vision and leadership could lead the country and bring
about recovery.
"Vision will help leaders implement any solutions or policies
in the right context," he said.