Parties to stop precampaigning

Parties to stop precampaigning

JAKARTA (JP): Following the military's revelation that at
least 10 people were killed in recent clashes among party
supporters, leaders of the 48 political parties contesting the
June 7 general election agreed on Tuesday to stop all precampaign
activities.

The agreement was reached at about the same time the media was
reporting three people were killed in a clash allegedly involving
supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) and Golkar Party in Buleleng on the southern tip of
Bali.

Party leaders agreed to halt "precampaign activities", which
often included boisterous rallies, during a meeting here on
Tuesday with the General Elections Commission (KPU), the National
Elections Committee (PPI), Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid
and Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military
Commander Gen. Wiranto. Also attending the meeting were National
Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi and members of the Elections
Supervisory Committee and the Independent Elections Monitoring
Committee.

Wiranto said that since March more than 50 people were
seriously injured in 33 party clashes, while dozens of houses
were damaged and hundreds of vehicles set on fire.

"There will be more victims if the precampaign activities are
not stopped," he said.

Absent from the meeting were leaders of a number of major
parties, including Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung, PDI
Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, National Mandate
Party (PAN) chairman Amien Rais, United Development Party (PPP)
chairman Hamzah Haz and National Awakening Party chairman Matori
Abdul Djalil. They were represented by party executives.

KPU chairman Rudini said after the meeting the agreement
became effective immediately after it was signed by all the party
leaders.

"With this agreement, all precampaign activities, including
party gatherings and visits to regions by party leaders, are
prohibited," he said.

He said party leaders also agreed not to "misuse" Koranic
verses during the election campaign and promised to help educate
the public about electoral rules.

PPI chairman Jacob Tobing said party leaders and the KPU
agreed to authorize the Elections Supervisory Committee to
enforce the agreement and sanction parties which violated the
agreement and the electoral code of conduct.

"The Elections Supervisory Committee will start working as of
today to monitor... premature campaign activities and other
violations," he said.

Wiranto expressed hope the monitoring would prevent further
clashes among party supporters.

"The police will enforce the criminal code against individuals
involved in clashes among party supporters while the Elections
Supervisory Committee will enforce the 1999 law on general
elections and the electoral code of conduct, sanctioning parties
whose supporters are involved in violence," he said.

He also urged political parties to take measures to reduce the
potential for unrest during the campaign period, scheduled for
May 19 to June 4.

Wiranto said it would be impossible for the nation to hold a
free and fair general election if the situation was not secure,
adding that existing military and police personnel were not
enough to guarantee security during the elections.

"How can we make the elections free and fair if the people are
afraid of violence, feel terrorized and intimidated," he asked.

He said the police would set up joint command posts with
political parties to deal with violence and promised "speedy
trials" would be held to process violations committed by parties
and their supporters.

Roesmanhadi said some 127,000 police officers and 600,000
members of the civilian militia (Kamra) and the civilian defense
(Hansip) would be deployed to maintain security during the
elections.

Bali

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Nasser Amir, chief of the Buleleng Police
in Bali, told The Jakarta Post by phone: "Three people were
killed (on Monday) from slash wounds suffered during the fighting
in Ingsakan village."

Nasser said the police were questioning 13 people over the
incident and three platoons of security personnel had been
deployed to the area.

He said supporters of Golkar Party and PDI Perjuangan might
have been involved in the clash.

"The supporters of those parties live side by side in the
village. They are neighbors, so for the time being it could be
thought that they might have been involved in the clash," Nasser
said.

Two cars and five motorcycles were burned during the brawl,
which erupted after a neighborhood security post in this village
in the northern subdistrict of Banjar was pelted with stones, he
said.

People from the villages of Pedawa, Sidatapa, Banjar and
Cempaga, all in the Banjar subdistrict, were involved in brawls
in December last year which left nine people dead and dozens of
houses damaged. The clashes involved supporters of Golkar and PDI
Perjuangan. (rms/byg)