Poll watchdog plans to train more volunteers

JAKARTA (JP): The Independent Election Monitoring Committee plans to train more volunteers to help monitor the general election next May.

Paskah Irianto, head of the committee's operational division, said that 35 people from across the country have met to design a training program.

They will train volunteers who will provide basic skills for committee activists in the provinces, Paskah said.

He said the committee has volunteers in 17 provinces. The other 10 provinces are expected to have volunteers by the election.

The 10 provinces without volunteers are West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, Southwest Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, Irian Jaya and East Timor.

Committee chairman Goenawan Mohamad has said that each provincial poll watchdog branch is an independent unit. There is no chain of command.

The volunteers are expected to finance their own activities, although the committee has opened a bank account with Bank International Indonesia.

Paskah said the poll watchdog would focus on real issues such as access to vote counting stations.

The poll watchdog's target is to improve people's political awareness so that every citizen has the right to monitor the general election, Paskah said.

The committee is the first independent poll watchdog in Indonesia.

According to Paskah, the most critical stage of the general election that needs monitoring is the counting of ballots and the signing over of ballot boxes which are transported to a higher administration.

He said that in the past many witnesses from the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) were unable monitor the election process because of intimidation.

"We will check whether the witnesses sign the documents without pressure," Paskah said.

There will be about 280,000 polling booths throughout the country.

Paskah said that since the committee does not have enough volunteers, it has to determine which areas to monitor.

The PPP, PDI and Golkar will contest 425 seats in the House of Representatives next year. (16)