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)