Soeharto happy with voting process

Soeharto happy with voting process

JAKARTA (JP): Hours after casting his ballot along with most
of the population, President Soeharto said he was satisfied with
yesterday's smooth election and hoped that order would be
maintained until final results were released.

"Praise be to Allah, the President is satisfied with the
election process," Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M. said
after accompanying Soeharto to monitor the election's preliminary
results at his house on Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta.

Attorney General Singgih was also present yesterday evening.

Yogie chairs the General Elections Institute and the National
Elections Committee, while Singgih heads the General Elections
Supervision Committee.

President Soeharto, Vice President Try Sutrisno, Armed Forces
Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung, Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie
S.M. and Minister of Information Harmoko have access to the
election result database.

The National Elections Committee said Tuesday that computer
access was restricted to five senior government officials.

Yogie said the President asked the elections committee to
continue counting votes in accordance with the law.

"I assure you the ballot counting is free from manipulation
and rigging. We carefully count the voting results sent by
provincial elections committees, who compile votes from districts
and local polling stations," he said.

Earlier yesterday Soeharto and his family joined Indonesia's
124.7 million voters by voting in the country's seventh general
election since gaining independence in 1945.

Soeharto was accompanied by his eldest daughter Siti
Hardiyanti Rukmana and her husband Indra Rukmana, eldest son
Sigit Harjoyudanto and his wife Elsye Ratnawati, second son
Bambang Trihatmodjo and his wife Halimah.

Soeharto's other daughter, Siti Hedijati Herijadi, was also
present but not accompanied by her husband Maj. Gen. Prabowo
Subianto, because soldiers do not vote.

Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra and his wife
Ardhia Pramesti Regita Cahyani Soerjosoebandoro also voted, as
did Soeharto's granddaughters Danti Indriastuti Rukmana and Retno
Widowati Sigit.

The President looked relaxed while waiting for his turn to
vote. With a pocket camera, he snapped pictures of a gaggle of
journalists covering the event.

He then inspected a polling station in Kuningan, South Jakarta
and another one on Jl. Pejambon, Central Jakarta, with Jakarta
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja and City Police chief Maj. Gen. Hamami
Nata.

Absence

At one of his visits Soeharto found that one party's
scrutineer was not present.

Reports poured in from many areas that scrutineers were not at
many polling stations.

Most Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and United Development
Party (PPP) scrutineers were absent for several reasons, mostly
because of intimidation by rivals, party officials said.

Yogie said many official party scrutineers failed to turn up
but that most polling booths could provide independent volunteers
to replace them.

Golkar chairman Harmoko cast his ballot in Rengasdengklok,
West Java.

Despite Golkar being assured of a comfortable victory he said
"it's better for all contestants, including Golkar, to wait for
the final results of the voting."

Golkar won 68 percent of the vote in 1992.

PPP chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum, voted near his home in
Widya Chandra housing complex in South Jakarta.

He praised the smooth voting process, but said his party would
remain on guard against possible rigging.

PDI chairman Soerjadi voted in the Grinting area, Kebayoran
Baru, also in South Jakarta.

His rival, Megawati Soekarnoputri, whom he ousted last year,
was away in East Java yesterday.

Meanwhile, chief of the Jakarta Regional Military Command Maj.
Gen. Sutiyoso said voting in Jakarta and its surrounding cities
of Tangerang and Bekasi proceeded safely.

He said the thousands of troops deployed would be gradually
withdrawn.

He recently said that 25,000 security personnel were posted
around Greater Jakarta.

Yesterday, he said there would be some dissatisfaction over
election results, but that it should be expressed in a proper
way.

In Surakarta, Central Java, chief of the Diponegoro Military
Command Maj. Gen. Subagyo H.S. denied angry crowds had burned
polling booths.

"There was an attempt to damage booths in Begendan village,
Pamanukan district, but the security personnel moved fast to foil
it," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

In Denpasar, Armed Forces sociopolitical affairs chief Lt.
Gen. Syarwan Hamid played down rumors of more unrest and bomb
scares.

"Those rumors were spread to scare people off, but in reality,
there was nothing. They were just rumors," he was quoted by
Antara as saying.

"Without prompting, the security personnel would immediately
act. The situation wouldn't be allowed to go on," he said.

He promised security authorities would do their utmost to
ensure the election went smoothly until the last vote was
counted.

National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo called on people
to remain calm and not worry.

"The situation is safe," he was quoted by Antara as saying.
(team)

Holiday mood -- Page 2

Editorial -- Page 4