Students must push for fair polls: Experts
JAKARTA (JP): A political researcher and activists preparing to monitor June's general election said on Tuesday that student demonstrators should continue to campaign for a free and fair poll because it was a prerequisite for a legitimate government.
J. Kristiadi of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Ani Sutjipto of the University Network for Free and Fair Elections and Mulyana W. Kusumah of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) were responding to objections to the planned elections voiced by students.
When interviewed by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, both said that students should focus on pushing for a free and fair election and involve themselves in monitoring the polls.
"Other demands are not realistic," said Kristiadi, citing demands to bring former president Soeharto to trial for alleged abuse of power, an immediate end to the Armed Forces' role in politics and the resignation of President B.J. Habibie.
In a media conference on Monday, student groups said that they would return to the streets shortly after Idul Fitri to protest against the planned election, which they believe will not be fair given the current government's close links to Soeharto's New Order regime.
Mulyana agreed that it would be more productive to focus on a attainable target but offered his support to students planning to continue with their protests.
"The protests serve as a form of control," he told the Post, referring to fears that the government may try to backtrack on its promise to hold free and fair election in June.
Among student groups represented at Monday's media conference were the City Forum (Forkot), the Communication Forum for Greater Jakarta Student Senates (FKSMJ) and the Jakarta Front.
Kristiadi said that demands to end the Armed Forces' (ABRI) political role would meet with stiff resistance.
"ABRI is now very solid after Commander Gen. Wiranto moved to replace many senior officers considered to have close links to former president Soeharto," he said.
He argued that calling for Habibie's resignation would complicate matters unnecessarily and pointed out that if Habibie was to step down it would lead to the creation of yet another illegitimate government.
Controversy has raged since Soeharto handed over power to Habibie in May last year and constitutional experts have been divided over the legitimacy of the new government.
Meanwhile, in talks held by the Muslim Student Action Union (KAMMI) last Friday, representatives of student groups including the Association of Muslim Students (HMI) and the Association of Muslim University Student (HAMMAS) agreed to take a common stance to push for a free and fair general election.
In the same talks, Forkot was among a number of student groups who insisted that they would only support the election if Habibie's government was not in power when it took place.
Many student groups and other activists have been calling for a transitional government to be appointed to prepare for the election.
Kristiadi said that student demonstrators should also focus on the abuse of social safety net funds following recent fears that the funds could be used to buy votes. He also warned that "compromise" was needed in any political struggle.
Separately at a media conference on Tuesday, senior activists grouped in the Council for the People's Mandate (MARA) warned legislators that further social unrest was inevitable if the current deliberations of the political bills ended in controversy. "The elections would be doomed," Emil Salim, a respected former presidential candidate, said.
Also present at Tuesday's briefing were Zumrotin K. Soesilo from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation and Goenawan Mohamad, the chief editor of Tempo weekly.
Goenawan urged political parties to continue to put pressure on legislators to ensure that the bills passed by the House were satisfactory to all concerned. Legislators have said that the bills will be completed by the end of this month. He also said that further input from the public should be sought before the bills were passed into law.
The Council was established in May under the leadership of Amien Rais, who is now chairman of the National Mandate Party.
At the time, the council made headlines as a rare forum of opposition leaders in the last days of Soeharto's rule.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Amien met with a delegation of United States congress members. He said the congress members had stressed the importance of holding a free and fair general election. Amien welcomed their support, but requested that America refrain from interfering in the election process.
A number of countries have pledged financial and technical support for independent poll watchdogs. (29/01/edt)