PPP uncovers another case of 'electoral fraud'

JAKARTA (JP): The United Development Party (PPP) claimed yesterday it had uncovered another conspiracy to ensure that Golkar would win a landslide election victory.

PPP secretary-general Tosari Wijaya said the Communication Forum for Golkar-affiliated Islamic Mass Organizations was behind the conspiracy.

"The forum's central executive board has ordered its branch offices across the country to give food and money to people so they vote for Golkar," Tosari said.

He said the forum's executives had sent letters to its provincial offices, telling them to conduct "dawn operations" on May 29, hours before people go to polling stations.

Quoting a copy of one of the letters, Tosari said the operations would mostly happen in villages and subdistricts where Golkar had lost seats in the 1992 election.

The operations would be held at about five a.m. after Moslems had said their dawn prayers, Tosari said. The forum had asked the Moslem organizations to coordinate with local bureaucrats and military officials to make operations successful.

This was the PPP's third accusation of electoral fraud in the last fortnight. Last week, party chief Ismail Hasan Metareum accused a subdistrict head in Bengkulu of predetermining local election results.

Ismail quoted a leaked document that said Golkar had won 86.29 percent of the vote in the subdistrict, PPP 7 percent and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) 6.71 percent.

Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. denied Monday that the Bengkulu bureaucrat had predetermined poll results. He said the document only contained the subdistrict chief's estimate of local election results.

Tosari has said there had been a similar poll-rigging attempt in Pelita village, Tanjung Karang mayoralty, Lampung.

The village chief has issued a "projection" of this year's election, in which Golkar will win 92.5 percent, PPP 5.09 percent and PDI 2.41 percent.

On the dawn operations, PPP deputy secretary-general Bachtiar Chamsyah said the Golkar-affiliated forum had violated election campaign regulations.

"The law says no political activity is allowed on election day," he said.

The PPP also complained yesterday that the Lampung provincial government had appointed Bandar Lampung mayoralty bureaucrats to oversee Golkar's local election strategy.

Tosari said the PPP Bandar Lampung branch had lodged a complaint with the local government over the appointments.

"We have demanded the minister of home affairs stop assigning civil servants to help Golkar win the general election in their respective areas," he said.

"It is meant to prevent them from promoting their own or Golkar's vested interests," he added. (imn)