PPP uncovers another case of 'electoral fraud'

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)