Setting aside $2.5 for citizens' way to democracy

Setting aside $2.5 for citizens' way to democracy

JAKARTA (JP): A United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
official said the US$100 million to be granted by the
organization and several foreign donors for the general election
in Indonesia is justifiable.

"It's the cost we must pay for democracy," G. Ravi Rajan, the
resident coordinator of the UN Operational Activities in
Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The fund, along with the $200 million elections fund allocated
in Indonesia's 1999/2000 State Budget, is "even on the low side
internationally" considering the country's 120 million eligible
voters, Rajan said.

"Per capita it's only US$2.50, while in South Africa, it's
more than US$10 (for every voter)," he said.

At Rp 1.3 trillion, the state expenditure planned for this
year's elections is at least five times the amount spent on the
1997 polls. The funds from UNDP are intended only for technical
assistance -- though it has yet to be decided whether salaries of
elections bodies members will be included.

Rajan said UNDP's role in the June 7 polls will be restricted
to providing technical assistance to the General Elections
Commission (KPU). The UNDP will help the commission develop its
electoral management, educate voters and fund local poll
monitoring activities.

"It's all (being) done for the first time ... (so it is up to
us) to make sure that everything is open, transparent and that it
runs well ... it is the cost of democracy, if you like," he said.

So far, UNDP has collected more than $40 million from seven
countries: Australia, Finland, Japan, New Zealand, the United
Kingdom, Norway and Sweden.

Fourteen countries have stated their commitment to contribute
to the UNDP program to establish good governance in Indonesia,
Rajan said. Once that all the funds are distributed, the UNDP
would make sure it is accountable to the donors.

All the grants committed were free of partial political
interests, he said. But, as an "extremely significant event in
Asia", many countries' interests today are resting on Indonesia's
elections, Rajan said.

Rajan added UNDP's decision to play a role in Indonesia's
elections was made in 1998 when the prolonged crisis forced all
multilateral organizations to review their programs to be of help
to Indonesia.

The UNDP finds it relevant to its worldwide mission to foster
the development of good governance. "One of its components is a
national election," he said.

Also, "there are opportunities to work with the civil society,
which is a part of a broader governance picture." He said the
fact that the country now welcomes international observers and
poll monitoring, through new laws on elections, was an important
factor leading to UNDP's involvement in the current polls.

Implementation of the UNDP-assisted programs must be conducted
with a high level of accountability, openness and transparency,
he said.

"So everybody will know who would be given what, with what
purposes ... and to make sure that the money is spent as
intended," Rajan said.

Discussions are now underway between the UNDP and the General
Elections Commission to identify areas where the international
organization can give support.

"The areas of assistance will be to help it set up a good
system of reporting of the poll results in a way which is fast,
open and secure," Rajan said. UNDP would start disbursing funds
allocated for voters' education this week, he said.

Of 50 proposals submitted by nongovernmental organizations,
covering a range of activities to assist the elections, 10 have
been accepted and another five are being processed.

Rajan said the UNDP would be authorized to terminate funds if
it detected flaws in the disbursement process.

UNDP hopes for a high voter turnout, but they would have to be
educated voters who understood and sought to exercise their
voting rights, Rajan said.

Unlike in the past, when the turnout could reach more than 90
percent thanks to mass mobilization of voters, this year's figure
is expected to drop because of the voluntary registration system.

Rajan encouraged three main election monitoring independent
groups -- the University Network for Free and Fair Elections
(Unfrel), the Indonesian Committee for General Election
Monitoring (KIPP), and the Rectors Forum -- to coordinate
themselves. "We're just asking that they use some common things
so that it will become easier and more economical for us," he
said. The groups have agreed on a common code of conduct.

With over 300,000 polling booths across the archipelago, Rajan
said the elections will be the largest the UN has ever dealt
with.

He gave a positive evaluation of the election process so far.

"Segments of society are now participating in the
elections... The KPU has been formed and discussions within it
are lively. All of these are good signals that the country is
focused on (the elections)," he said. (aan)