Police warn against disruption of polls

JAKARTA (JP): The National Police reaffirmed on Friday that any attempts to disrupt the forthcoming general election would be dealt with sternly.

National Police Chief Gen. Roesmanhadi said in a speech read out at the Mobile Brigade Corps Headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Bogor, that the security forces would work hard to protect the general public from the threat of unrest.

"We will never allow anarchy to prevail, not only because it is against the law, but because we do not want the public to live in fear," Roesmanhadi said in his speech, which was read out by Lt. Gen. Nana Permana.

Roesmanhadi said anarchy would deprive the public of their freedom and was thus incompatible with democracy.

A force of 800,000 police, soldiers and civilian security guards will be deployed on the streets in the run-up to the June 7 poll, which has been touted as the first free and fair election ever to be held in the country.

The National Police will form the backbone of the security force, with the Indonesian military playing a back-up role.

To safeguard East Java during and after the campaign, the Brawijaya Military Command has prepared 5,000 soldiers and civilians for duty. The force includes volunteers from many of the political parties contesting the election.

Maj. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, who commands the Brawijaya garrison, said on Friday that East Java was prone to unrest "on paper" as the result of a high population density and severe urban poverty.

"The conditions have made the province a potential breeding ground for unrest, but it will remain a potential alone for as long as the citizens of this province all do their bit to uphold law and order," Ryamizard said.

The results of a study published on Thursday placed Surabaya at the top of a list of areas vulnerable to civil unrest.

Further hotspots identified in East Java include the island of Madura and the regencies of Pasuruan and Probolinggo. However, Ryamizard said these areas were still relatively calm, although added that security forces there were keeping alert to the possibility of trouble.

"Security duties depend on how things develop in the field, but we will keep a close watch for any attempt by left and right wing extremists to cause disturbances," he said as quoted by Antara.

In Bandarlampung, the news agency reported that two battalions of troops from the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) will join the election security force in the city, which is the provincial capital of Lampung.

A spokesman for Lampung Police, Maj. John B. Hutabarat, said the detachment of 600 soldiers would travel to the town in small groups, with the first arriving on Sunday.

They will remain in Lampung for two months, Hutabarat added.

Lampung has a population of nearly 7.5 million and a police force of only 3,500 personnel.

Safety net

In Yogyakarta, the rector of Gadjah Mada University, Ichlasul Amal, said the General Elections Commission (KPU) had no right to summon representatives of Golkar to explain the alleged misuse of foreign aid allocated to the social safety net program.

Amal, speaking on the sidelines of a seminar organized in memory of the late Catholic priest Mangunwijaya, said that the matter should be investigated by the government.

"The KPU was established to organize the general election, not to question or try parties. The latter is the responsibility of government and the courts," he said.

Calls have mounted for the KPU to summon Golkar to explain its actions since State Minister of National Development Planning Boediono revealed that Golkar cadres in a number of towns were suspected of handing out money to the needy.

In Medan, North Sumatra, the secretary general of the Election Supervisory Committee, Satya Arinanto, said the committee would summon Golkar leaders and officials from the National Development Planning Board in the near future to clarify reports on the alleged on misuse of funds.

"If there is any evidence that Golkar is guilty, we will pass the matter on to the courts because the allegations are a criminal action," Satya said.

On Friday, Satya accompanied KPU chairman Rudini and Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid on a tour of the North Sumatra capital to observe preparations for the general election.

However, Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung denied the allegations, saying the charges had been made to discredit the party ahead of voting.

"Don't just make allegations, show us evidence that we have misused social safety net funds," Akbar said on Friday during a charity program held by the party at the An-Nur Mosque in Cipete, South Jakarta.

Also on Friday, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) announced the opening of a crisis center set up to monitor violence throughout the election campaign. (21/edt/rms/byg/amd)