Police told to focus on five big parties

Police told to focus on five big parties

JAKARTA (JP): The Election Supervisory Committee suggested on
Thursday that security forces focus their job on the five
political parties with the best chance to win at the polls.

Mulyana W. Kusumah, deputy chairman of the committee, told The
Jakarta Post that executives of the official poll watch would
present the proposal in a meeting with National Police and the
National Elections Committee on Sunday.

The meeting, the first to involve the three institutions, will
deal with measures to curb violence and other violations in the
remaining election stages.

Mulyana identified the parties as the ruling Golkar,
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
National Awakening Party (PKB), United Development Party (PPP)
and National Mandate Party (PAN).

"I think the best possible way (to curb conflict and violence
during the poll process) is for the security forces to focus on
the big five. They have a huge number of supporters who are
evident to be vulnerable to clashes," Mulyana, who is also
secretary-general of the Independent Election Monitoring
Committee (KIPP), said.

Repeated election-related violence flared up among the parties
recently, with PDI Perjuangan supporters mostly fighting their
Golkar counterparts and PKB supporters in a grassroots battle
with bitter rivals from PPP. At least 10 people were killed in
the political conflict.

Mulyana warned that Golkar could fall victim to further
violence due to the intensifying campaign by certain parties
labeling the ruling party as "the common enemy", and could thus
deserve punishment.

"This situation is dangerous because nonpartisan people may
join in the move and this could spark mass violence," he said.

The opposition movement against Golkar has stepped up a gear
after three reform parties, PDI Perjuangan, PKB and PAN, signed a
joint-communique to fight the "status quo force" earlier this
week.

Mulyana said hostility between supporters of PKB and PPP
needed extra monitoring, so did PAN supporters who had recently
fallen prey to violence in several areas in Central Java.

Apart from monitoring violations, the committee will try its
best to enforce the election rules, according to Mulyana.

"But it's hard to do so because all parties have breached the
rules," he said.

Earlier, his colleague, Todung Mulya Lubis, complained that
the committee failed to impose punishments on errant parties, due
to fears that this would only spark anger.

Electoral violations carry a maximum sentence of a five-year
imprisonment and maximum fines worth Rp 10 million (US$1,250).
The heaviest offenses include faking registration cards,
disrupting the polls, counterfeiting documents of legislative
candidates, multiple voting and vote rigging.

Fines would be imposed on negligent polling committee
officials and people who exceed the maximum financial assistance
for a party. Organizations and individuals are allowed to
contribute no more than Rp 150 million and Rp 10 million
respectively.

The official poll watchdog is entitled to bar a party from
holding electoral rallies under an offense.

In Bogor, West Java, thousands of PDI Perjuangan supporters
held a street rally across the town with convoys of motorcycles,
cars and trucks, despite an earlier agreement that a party was
not allowed to mobilize its mass from one district to another.
(edt/24)