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)