Recent violence blamed on govt

Recent violence blamed on govt

JAKARTA (JP): The government's inconsistent treatment of the
parties has caused people to fight in the streets, the Indonesian
Legal Aid Foundation said yesterday.

"The government has accused the political parties and the
public of violating election law. In fact, the government and its
apparatus have also violated the law," said foundation chairman
Bambang Widjojanto.

Election law stated that the government should hold the
election without bias, but the government was favoring Golkar, he
said. In despair, people had vented their anger in wild street
rallies and resorted to violence.

Fighting has broken out in towns across the country in recent
days. Most clashes have involved supporters of Golkar and the
Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP).

Tens of thousands of supporters of both parties threw stones
at each other in Jakarta on Sunday, with groups of youths roaming
parts of the city well into the night.

"The government has harvested bad fruits with its action,"
said Munir, the foundation's operational secretary.

Bambang said that by May 14 the foundation's branches around
the country had recorded at least 28 cases of the government or
security forces violating election law by using terror,
intimidation, torture or other means to get people to vote for a
particular party.

Security personnel had intimidated people out of attending two
of the parties' rallies and beaten those bearing paraphernalia
carrying the words "Mega-bintang", he said.

"Mega-bintang" is supposed to represent an alliance between
the ousted chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI),
Megawati Soekarnoputri, and the PPP. Bintang (star) is the PPP's
symbol.

Megawati was ousted as PDI chairperson by government-backed
party members at a congress in July last year.

"Mega-bintang" attributes, which have been banned by the
government, are distributed by Megawati's supporters taking part
in PPP rallies.

Bambang said the foundation had recorded nine cases of the
government stopping political parties campaigning.

He said a subdistrict chief in Muara Enim, South Sumatra, had
stopped the PDI and PPP campaigning in six villages.

Bambang said the government's prejudice had angered people.

"The presence of security guards who normally make people feel
safe have instead made people scared," he said.

Bambang said the public would continue to fight during
campaigning "unless there was a guarantee that the election would
be organized with fairness and honesty and that there would be no
power abuse". (jsk)