Prospect of unfair poll 'likely'
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)