Poll watchdog's Jakarta branch formed
JAKARTA (JP): Under the watchful eye of police, activists yesterday issued a public declaration formally announcing the formation of the Jakarta branch of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP).
"As a concrete step in helping to develop a democratic attitude and people's political participation, an independent body needs to be established as a control mechanism in the election," said the chief of Jakarta's KIPP presidium Garda Sembiring.
Included in KIPP Jakarta's board of advisors are such figures as Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, a daughter of Indonesia's first president, and Berar Fathia, an activist of the Indonesian Democratic Party who has named herself a candidate in the 1997 presidential election.
KIPP was formed by vocal government critics last month. They include the former chief editor of the defunct Tempo magazine, Goenawan Mohamad, and the founder of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Adnan Buyung Nasution. The group has since established branch offices in the regions, the latest addition being Jakarta yesterday.
The government has brushed aside the existence of independent electoral watchdogs saying their existence is not needed.
Attempts to establish KIPP branches have also been met with suspicion and sometimes fury.
Last weekend, a meeting to establish a KIPP branch in Medan, North Sumatra, was broken up after unidentified ruffians disrupted proceedings by stoning the venue, the office of the Legal Aid Institute in Medan.
In less than 24-hours the building mysteriously caught fire.
The KIPP declaration in Jakarta was read at the YLBHI office on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta.
The proclamation of the declaration was originally scheduled to be held at the Independence Monument on Jl. Proklamasi which is located just a few hundred meters away. However police assembled in force at the monument grounds and forbid the planed event to take place.
East Jakarta Police Lt. Col. Gories Mere and Central Jakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Sylvianus Wenas were on hand to personally oversee the several dozen police officers there.
In disgust, the some 30 youths who had assembled then began to march down JL. Proklamasi towards the YLBHI building, while singing patriotic songs.
Their march nearly sparked an incident as police officers tried to control the youths whom they considered were obstructing traffic.
Upon arriving at the YLBHI office the youths then turned on the police and began to shout "police get out!"
A brief shoving match occurred but did not unfold into anything worse.
At the YLBHI grounds, the youths then held a public proclamation of the formation of KIPP Jakarta.
Citing the declaration, Garda said the past five elections have been marred by cheating and KIPP is needed to ensure an honest and fair election in 1997.
He said even though the government does not recognize KIPP, it is legitimized by the popular support gained from the people.
"We invite the people to come and work with us," Garda later announced.
He added that the presidium of the Jakarta branch of KIPP was formed on April 11 and that its first task would be to disseminate information on the rights of the people in the general election. (mds/16)
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