Polls likely to be called off in 10% of regencies: KIPP

Polls likely to be called off in 10% of regencies: KIPP

JAKARTA (JP): Elections are unlikely to take place in 10
percent of the country's 243 regencies due to their vulnerability
to unrest, a poll monitor predicted on Saturday.

Mulyana W. Kusumah, secretary-general of the Independent
Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP), said there was not a strong
likelihood of polls being held in areas such as Aceh, Maluku,
West Kalimantan and Irian Jaya.

"Unrest that has rocked various parts of the country has
caused damage to infrastructure, and based on our observations a
disturbance tends to spill over," Mulyana said after inaugurating
KIPP branches in Greater Jakarta.

Other observers have also raised similar concerns.

Mulyana said a delayed poll in unrest-ridden regencies would
be preferable if technical problems remained unsettled.

Law No.3/1999 on General Elections says delayed polls may take
place within a maximum of 30 days after balloting day.

In such areas, Mulyana said, "Technically, it would difficult
to gather voters... as many residents have probably fled or will
even refuse to vote for political reasons".

This year's elections are scheduled for June 7, with 140
million eligible voters.

Apart from sporadic unrest in Maluku, Lhoksemauwe in Aceh,
Jayapura in Irian Jaya and Sambas in West Kalimantan, cries for
independence have been raised in East Timor, Aceh and other
areas.

"Fears and traumatic experiences may lead people in the riot-
torn areas to refrain from voting. They are concentrating on
surviving," Mulyana said. Thousands of displaced residents in
provinces where recent carnage has taken place have taken
sanctuary in refugee centers.

The General Elections Law also allows a vote rerun in cases
where vote-rigging or other violations have been found.

Established in March 1996, KIPP was the first poll monitoring
body in Indonesia. Together with the University Network for Free
and Fair Elections (Unfrel) and the Rectors Forum, KIPP will
monitor the country's multiparty election process. Several other
monitoring bodies have also been set up.

Currently KIPP claims to have 60,000 volunteers and hopes to
reach a set target of 130,000 to oversee 128 regencies.

Mulyana said KIPP had started monitoring since the early
stages of the election process.

"We observed, among other things, the delays in election
stages caused by spats between the General Elections Commission
and parties contesting the polls," he said.

KIPP is to hold a two-day trainers' course on March 30 and
March 31 to be attended by representatives of its nationwide
branches.

In Semarang, General Elections Committee (PPI) member I.M.
Sunarka regretted the establishment of regional electoral
committees in regencies which did not involve the committee.

"Such regional elections committees are not legitimate and
thus selection for their membership must be repeated," Sunarka
said while installing Central Java's electoral committee on
Saturday.

Also in Semarang, visiting leader of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) Megawati Soekarnoputri met
with Semarang Bishop Ignatius Suharyo to request his help in
watching over her party's supporters.

Suharyo, as quoted by Antara news agency, said the Semarang
diocese would stay neutral to all parties.

"PDI Perjuangan is not the only political party to ask the
church to watch over their supporters. We have received the same
request from PAN and PKB," Suharyo said.

PAN is the National Mandate Party led by popular scholar Amien
Rais, while PKB is the National Awakening Party founded by Muslim
leader Abdurrahman Wahid.

Megawati was in Semarang to officiate the party's command
posts in the province. Thousands of supporters flooded the city
streets to welcome her, Antara reported.

In Magelang, Megawati said in front of some 30,000 supporters
that people were easily torn apart and divided, "because of deep
polarizing feelings" attached to respective ethnic groups. She
urged people to remain as one, "as we cannot let the violence go
on in various areas such as in Ambon or Sambas." (edt/aan/har)