Students must push for fair polls: Experts

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)