Prospect of unfair poll 'likely'

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid's optimism political bills under deliberation will effect a just general election in June may hold little sway with observers fearful that past bugaboos of rigging and cheating could resurface.

Syarwan said he believed the political bills would be adopted by the House in time for the Jan. 28 deadline, despite the stalemate on several crucial issues.

"I am confident," he said as quoted by Antara here on Tuesday. "What we want is the upcoming general election should be held in a just and fair manner."

In contrast, political commentators' warn the June 7 polls will likely be prone to rigging and cheating unless safeguards are put in place.

Speaking separately to The Jakarta Post recently, the experts called on students to expend their energy on monitoring the election to ensure its fairness instead of staging protests against its running.

Eep Saefulloh Fatah of the University of Indonesia identified several stages of the election, such as voter registration and selection of poll contestants, as particularly susceptible to cheating.

"I am sure the next poll will not be 100 percent fair and honest. Why? Because it is all depends on the forming of the KPU (the General Election Committee)," Eep noted.

The committee should be composed of credible members because it will be in charge of determining crucial factors, such as eligible voters.

"In the old days it was very easy to manipulate the voter lists as we had such a messy administration for citizenship lists. It was easy to register one person twice, for instance."

Also vulnerable to underhandedness was political parties' listings, Eep said. He divulged that a special team of 11 "nonpartisan people" would be formed to prepare for the establishment of the election committee.

The team will select poll contestants in accordance with the political bills. "I am afraid the team will... be manipulated by certain political interests. I suggest that it is formed in an open and fair manner."

Gadjah Mada University rector Ichlasul Amal said in Yogyakarta the possibility of cheating was considerable because most new political parties did not have sufficient experience in participating in and running an election. The exception was the ruling Golkar grouping.

"We have to admit that Golkar is the most prepared party for the next election because it has an established structure... it knows almost all of the loopholes.

"So I think the other political parties, especially the splintered PDI Perjuangan and United Development Party who are experienced in being 'cheated' by Golkar, should be active in setting up the rules and monitoring the poll process."

Khofifah Indar Parawansa, one of the executives of the new National Awakening Party, said even the formalities, such as the route voters take from the waiting line to balloting booths, must be thoroughly checked to avoid any tampering.

"There was no sufficient control (in the past)... such as special escort from the independent poll watchdog to make sure ballot boxes would not be thrown into the sea and replaced with other boxes."

Meanwhile, political expert Maswadi Rauf emphasized the students' role in ensuring a fair, democratic and peaceful election.

"It is better for them to thoroughly prepare for election monitoring rather than continue staging street protests. We have a lot to work on.

"I'm afraid if they blindly reject the planned poll... chaos will happen and they can even obstruct democratization in this country."

Eep said students must stay an opposition movement but remain supporters of democracy through a fair poll.

"History proves that only a fair election could bring about a democratic nation. It is useless for students to keep on staging street protests.

"They have to know when to stop and when to start debating their ideas on more important issue... such as making a standardized procedure for poll monitoring." (edt)