Panwaslu monitors West Irian policies

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Election Supervisory Commission (Panwaslu) is to continue monitoring policies issued by the General Elections Commission (KPU) on West Irian Jaya for fear that the policies may disrupt poll preparations in the whole of Papua.

Panwaslu member Didiek Supriyanto warned that political policies on West Irian Jaya may lead to controversy prior to the Constitutional Court issuing a verdict on the partition of Papua province into three smaller provinces -- Papua, West Irian Jaya and Central Irian Jaya.

The newly established Constitutional Court is currently reviewing three contentious rulings on Papua -- Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy, Law No. 45/1999 on the formation of West and Central Irian Jaya, and Presidential Decree No. 1/2003 on the accelerated formation of West and Central Irian Jaya provinces.

"The KPU decided to postpone the establishment of the KPUD in West Irian Jaya following protest from the KPUD in Papua, warning that its establishment would only disrupt poll preparations and results in the province.

"It, however, decided to maintain a secretariat in the territory and is taking over matters regarding the elections because the KPUD in Papua refused to coordinate with the secretariat. And Panwaslu is now monitoring the policy," Didiek told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Separately, administrative law expert Sri Soemantri said the KPU had made the right decision to take over election matters in the territory and doubted it would disrupt the polls.

"Based on the schedule, the court will hold a hearing on the Papua case on Wednesday. It will listen to experts to determine whether the rulings contradict each other.

"No matter what the verdict, I doubt it will create problems regarding the legitimacy of the elections," Sri, also a lecturer from Bandung's Padjadjaran University, told the Post by phone.

The government installed in November Brig. Gen. (ret) Abraham Octovianus Ataruri as the governor of West Irian Jaya province, despite controversy over the province's status.

It was Ataruri who asked for the establishment of the KPUD in West Irian Jaya province.

Didiek concurred with Sri, saying that "the public must accept the emergency situation in Papua."