Rallies over, Indonesia ready for elections

Rallies over, Indonesia ready for elections

JAKARTA (JP): Gone are the delirious crosstown street rallies
as Indonesia scrambles to make last-ditch preparations for
Monday's elections.

Flaws were found on Friday concerning technicalities of
balloting, not to mention security concerns in troubled Aceh with
only two days to go.

But General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman, Rudini,
assured the country all was ready for election day.

Speaking after a meeting with President B.J. Habibie at
Merdeka Palace, Rudini said the commission had checked the
preparedness of all equipment and facilities, including
telecommunications and computer networks in all regencies and
mayoralties. Rudini said all of them were ready to work as
scheduled.

"Only in Jakarta are we still facing some problems," said
Rudini. "It's ironic that many poll tool kits are incomplete
here, such as missing nails to be used to punch the ballots, and
ink."

During the meeting, Rudini was accompanied by, among others,
National Elections Committee (PPI) chairman Jacob Tobing. Habibie
was flanked by some ministers, including Coordinating Minister
for Political and Security Affairs Gen. (ret) Feisal Tanjung and
Minister of Home Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid.

All TV and radio stations and print media are no longer
allowed to run any advertisements of parties contesting the
elections during the two days of the cooling-off period today and
Sunday, Rudini said.

"We will notify the electronic media about this matter. I know
we don't have a specific regulation on this, but let the cooling-
off period be a calm one," he said.

He said all 48 political parties were also obliged to clear
all flags, leaflets and party symbols from streets and public
venues. All communication centers must also be removed.

The KPU set Sunday afternoon as the deadline for parties to
rid the streets of campaign signs and symbols.

"The government will clean and remove all stuff belonging to a
party if it misses the deadline," said the former minister of
home affairs.

He also said all communication posts, which are popularly
called posko gotong royong, must be removed by midnight Sunday at
the latest.

"It cannot be painted. If the parties fail to do so, the
authorities will demolish the structure," Rudini said.

Thousands of communication posts have been set up in towns and
villages across the country, most of which are believed to belong
to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

Rudini guaranteed that attempts to counterfeit ballot papers
would be minimal, thanks to special hologram stickers attached on
the ballots.

Aceh

Rudini pointed out that only registered voters had the right
to vote on Monday. Aceh voters will be exempted, however, as long
as security reasons matter.

He said the government was still undecided whether to postpone
the polls in the regencies of North Aceh, Pidie and East Aceh.
"We are closely watching the situation in Aceh," Rudini said,
adding that the final say would be announced on Sunday.

North Aceh authorities have imposed an overnight curfew on the
volatile regency. In a decree effective from Thursday, the local
government banned people from leaving home between midnight and
4:30 a.m.

"A curfew is being imposed in North Aceh because the security
situation... is getting worse since irresponsible gunmen are
carrying out unlawful actions," said the statement, signed by
regent Tarmizi Karim and the local military and police chiefs.

The military however denied that a curfew had been handed
down, saying it was to ask people not to go out for their own
sake.

"It is not a curfew, it is just an appeal to the people not to
make any activity during that time when it is not too urgent,"
said North Aceh Military commander Lt. Col. Giyono.

Zainuddin, spokesman of the Free Aceh Movement, said in
Lhokseumawe that his organization had never campaigned for an
elections boycott. He accused military of making the separatist
rebel group a scapegoat.

"It's not us but the military itself who plot to foil the
elections in Aceh," Zainuddin said.

On the vote-sharing deal between political parties, better
known as stembus akoord, Rudini said KPU had accepted only one
agreement among Muslim-based parties. (prb/edt/46)