RI rebukes U.S. for poll remarks
RI rebukes U.S. for poll remarks
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas rebuked
the U.S. State Department yesterday for its remarks about the
Indonesian general election, calling them "inappropriate".
"I've read the statement by the U.S. State Department
spokesman, and I think it showed ignorance or lack of
understanding of our system," Alatas said.
"I honestly regret the statement because it showed lack of
appreciation about what we've been trying to develop with our
Pancasila democracy.
"I expected foreigners to at least try to understand that
there are different kinds of democracy, and any evaluation must
be based on an appropriate knowledge of the system," he said.
State Department Spokesman John Dinger described the
Indonesian electoral system Friday as so tightly controlled by
the government that it "severely limits political competition."
Calling on the Indonesian government to investigate
allegations of vote-rigging and cheating, Dinger said in
Washington: "More broadly, we also believe Indonesia should move
toward a political system in which the will of the people can be
heard."
Thursday's general election gave an overwhelming victory to
the dominant party Golkar, which polled more than 74 percent of
the counted valid vote. The United Development Party (PPP)
collected 23 percent, and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) 3
percent, according to figures released by the National Elections
Committee yesterday.
With only a few thousand more votes to be counted, the final
figures are not expected to change dramatically.
Based on the provisional results, Golkar is expected to win
321 of the 425 seats in the House of Representatives that were up
for grabs, PPP 88 and PDI 10. The six seats that remain
unallocated are to be the subject of negotiations between the
three contestants.
The other 75 seats are reserved for Armed Forces appointees.
Senior and well-respected ulema Ilyas Rukhiat endorsed the
election yesterday, saying it was conducted in an "open and
democratic manner", and appealed to all contestants to accept the
results, Antara reported.
"All political organizations should accept the 1997 election
results gracefully and with an open heart," Ilyas, the chairman
of the Nahdlatul Ulama's Policy-Making Board, said.
"There is no need to trade accusations or slanders. If there
is a problem, let's solve it in a familial manner according to
the rules of the game," he said in a statement released by
Golkar.
In a general election, there should be no losers, he said,
adding that if there were to be winners, then they were the
Indonesian people and democracy.
All the parties that contested the election should now work
hand in hand to implement the national development programs they
had promised during the election campaign, he said.
"Fulfill the promises you made for the sake of the welfare of
the Indonesian people. Don't let anyone renege on their
promises," he said.
Alatas also criticized yesterday the election coverage in the
foreign press, describing it as "cynical and apriori."
"Very few of the foreign journalists grasped or understood our
system. Because it's a different system from theirs they had
already formed a negative attitude.
"Some of their reports were also clearly deceptive ... such as
when they described the election campaign as the most violent
ever, with 100 or so deaths.
"But they didn't explain what caused the deaths, leaving the
impression that the victims were shot at by security personnel,"
he said, adding that most people had died because of accidents or
fires.
The election campaign death toll exceeded 250 people. This
included 123 who were trapped in shops gutted by a fire during a
riot in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on the last day of the
campaign. Most of the others died in traffic accidents while
taking part in street rallies. (mds/emb)
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas rebuked
the U.S. State Department yesterday for its remarks about the
Indonesian general election, calling them "inappropriate".
"I've read the statement by the U.S. State Department
spokesman, and I think it showed ignorance or lack of
understanding of our system," Alatas said.
"I honestly regret the statement because it showed lack of
appreciation about what we've been trying to develop with our
Pancasila democracy.
"I expected foreigners to at least try to understand that
there are different kinds of democracy, and any evaluation must
be based on an appropriate knowledge of the system," he said.
State Department Spokesman John Dinger described the
Indonesian electoral system Friday as so tightly controlled by
the government that it "severely limits political competition."
Calling on the Indonesian government to investigate
allegations of vote-rigging and cheating, Dinger said in
Washington: "More broadly, we also believe Indonesia should move
toward a political system in which the will of the people can be
heard."
Thursday's general election gave an overwhelming victory to
the dominant party Golkar, which polled more than 74 percent of
the counted valid vote. The United Development Party (PPP)
collected 23 percent, and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) 3
percent, according to figures released by the National Elections
Committee yesterday.
With only a few thousand more votes to be counted, the final
figures are not expected to change dramatically.
Based on the provisional results, Golkar is expected to win
321 of the 425 seats in the House of Representatives that were up
for grabs, PPP 88 and PDI 10. The six seats that remain
unallocated are to be the subject of negotiations between the
three contestants.
The other 75 seats are reserved for Armed Forces appointees.
Senior and well-respected ulema Ilyas Rukhiat endorsed the
election yesterday, saying it was conducted in an "open and
democratic manner", and appealed to all contestants to accept the
results, Antara reported.
"All political organizations should accept the 1997 election
results gracefully and with an open heart," Ilyas, the chairman
of the Nahdlatul Ulama's Policy-Making Board, said.
"There is no need to trade accusations or slanders. If there
is a problem, let's solve it in a familial manner according to
the rules of the game," he said in a statement released by
Golkar.
In a general election, there should be no losers, he said,
adding that if there were to be winners, then they were the
Indonesian people and democracy.
All the parties that contested the election should now work
hand in hand to implement the national development programs they
had promised during the election campaign, he said.
"Fulfill the promises you made for the sake of the welfare of
the Indonesian people. Don't let anyone renege on their
promises," he said.
Alatas also criticized yesterday the election coverage in the
foreign press, describing it as "cynical and apriori."
"Very few of the foreign journalists grasped or understood our
system. Because it's a different system from theirs they had
already formed a negative attitude.
"Some of their reports were also clearly deceptive ... such as
when they described the election campaign as the most violent
ever, with 100 or so deaths.
"But they didn't explain what caused the deaths, leaving the
impression that the victims were shot at by security personnel,"
he said, adding that most people had died because of accidents or
fires.
The election campaign death toll exceeded 250 people. This
included 123 who were trapped in shops gutted by a fire during a
riot in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on the last day of the
campaign. Most of the others died in traffic accidents while
taking part in street rallies. (mds/emb)