PPP protests against election irregularities

PPP protests against election irregularities

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) strongly
protested yesterday the widespread fraud in this year's general
election and it was still undecided whether it would accept the
final poll result.

In its statement, read by party secretary-general Tosari
Widjaya, the Moslem-based political party concluded that this
year's election "was generally no better than the previous ones".

"Vote buying, intimidation, mental and physical terror as well
as other widespread blatant and shameless violations and fraud
have not only challenged our moral ethics of Pancasila democracy,
but have also hampered people's process to mature in politics,"
it stated.

However, the PPP has yet to decide whether to sign the final
election results document to be announced June 23 -- as is
legally required by the three election contestants -- despite
threats of leaders of several chapters to reject the result.
PPP's chapters in West Sumatra, South Sulawesi and East Java's
Sampang branch have even demanded ballot reruns.

The PPP's chairman, Ismail Hasan Metareum, said after the
reading of the party's statement that all the party chapter
leaders "have trusted" the PPP central board to make the party's
final stance regarding this year's final poll result.

"We have not ruled out the possibility of not signing, but
still have not decided," Buya, as Ismail is better known, said.
He said the party central board was not given a time limit by its
chapter leaders to make the party's much-awaited final stand.

He also declined to say whether a decision would be made
before the National Election Committee issues the final result on
June 23.

PPP's statement was issued yesterday as the result of its
central board's three-day meeting with its chapter leaders from
the country's 27 provinces to review the election and hear
chapters' reports.

In the PPP statement, numerous allegations of vote rigging and
widespread electoral law violations during the 27-day campaign
period, the May 29 polling day and ballot counting have been
listed.

"We urge the Election Supervision Committee to take strong
legal measures against these violations," PPP said.

Intimidation

Violations the PPP recorded include the intimidation and
terrorizing of many of its polling scrutinizers, which made them
unable to perform their duty on the polling day.

The party has also alleged that eligible high school students
had been intimidated to vote for a "certain political party" or
else fail their examinations.

There were also controlled and systematic mobilization of --
plus threats imposed on -- civil servants and employees of state-
owned companies as well as private-owned companies to vote for a
certain political party, it said.

"There was also vote buying from civil servants and the people
for a certain political party. This included promises of bonuses
for local polling committee officials or village chiefs who
managed to increase the votes of a certain political party," it
added.

The party's statement did not make a direct reference to the
government-backed Golkar political organization as "the certain
political party".

Golkar won 68 percent of the vote in the last election in
1992. The provisional results of this year's election show that
Golkar scored a landslide victory by securing about 74 percent of
the vote, the PPP 22 percent and the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI) 3 percent.

The results indicate that Golkar has secured 325 of the 425
House seats that were up for grabs, the PPP 90 seats and the PDI
10. More than 90 percent of the votes have been counted and the
final tally is expected on June 23. (aan/39)