Poll violations mar election
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Various incidents have made the 2004 general election, the first direct election ever in Indonesian history, more colorful than previous elections.
In some places, administrative hiccups disrupted the election and caused confusion among people, while in other places, election violations still took place as people continued to resort to whatever means available to win the election.
Sadly, like the campaign period last month, the election fiesta on Monday also claimed fatalities.
In Bandung, the capital of West Java province, a mother of a legislative candidate here allegedly violated elections regulations, prompting a poll volunteer to report it to the poll organizer, the Bandung General Elections Commission (KPU).
The incident began when Yuliasari, the mother of Mohammad Yuda Prawira, a legislative candidate from the Democratic Party, distributed around 30 free candies to voters about to cast votes at a polling station in Cingised subdistrict in Arcamanik district, Bandung.
It turned out to be a serious problem when a volunteer at the Bandung Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) noticed that the candies bore the Democratic Party logo.
Yuliasari told reporters innocently: "I was only distributing the left over candies I got from the campaign."
In Yogyakarta, several legislative candidates in three separate regencies here resorted to vote buying just hours before the poll was held on Monday.
Muhammad Wafiek, a member of the Yogyakarta Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu), said that the candidates were from the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Concern for the Nation Functional Party (PKPB) and Golkar Party.
Wafiek said that Panwaslu would report it to the Yogyakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) for further investigation. If the candidates were proven guilty, they could face a maximum 12 months in prison.
In Maluku province, local residents and poll observers revealed on Monday that supporters of the United Development Party (PPP) had intimidated migrants and refugees who had settled in Tulehu subdistrict, Central Maluku regency.
"They were afraid that they would be expelled from the subdistrict if they refused to vote for PPP," said Sutan Marsida from the Voter Education Network for the People (JPRR).
But, the secretary of PPP's Central Maluku branch, Mat Umarella, denied the charge, saying that his party cadres had not intimidated the refugees or migrants.
Meanwhile, dozens of party officials in Toli-Toli regency, Central Sulawesi, staged a protest on Monday in front of the Central Sulawesi General Elections Commission (KPUD) after they found that many ballot papers in the regency had already been perforated. They demanded the election here be repeated.
In Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, two children Chris Wilson and Ganjar received voter cards, but they were not allowed to vote by committee members as they were under age, Antara news agency reported. Only people over 17 years of age can vote.
Also in Surabaya, the election was disrupted after ballot papers in Krembangan and Jambangan areas were accidentally interchanged, All ballot papers that were supposed to be used in Jambangan were sent to Krembangan and vice versa. Some people had already voted, prompting committee members in both areas to repeat the election. A similar incident also happened in Bengkulu province.
Lastly, four people died in Surabaya during the poll on Monday.
One of them, Bambang Setyobudi, died after he had a heart attack while he punched the ballot paper in Tegalsari area here.
The other three people, who were all election committee members, died in traffic accidents.