Transparency of democracy tarnished

Transparency of democracy tarnished

On Aug. 31, 1999, on the 19th floor of the Hotel Borobudur, I
observed the future of a united Indonesia as it was put in the
hands of outsiders, representatives of the International
Organization of Migration (IOM), appointed by the United Nations
Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), to ensure that the votes on the
issue of independence for the people of East Timor were
accurately represented.

Dr. Kottek, president, and Ms. Ruth, deputy, were assisted by
10 Canadian IOM members whose job was to open the sealed ballot
boxes and to record the votes. Two of the ballot boxes came from
Yogyakarta, two from Surabaya, one from Ujungpandang, one from
Bali and three from Jakarta. The IOM members were paired off and
boxes assigned to each pair or three.

The boxes were unsealed and counting began at 2:30 p.m.. The
process lasted approximately five hours -- with disappointing
results. The counting procedures failed to meet the exacting
standards of the code of conduct for observers as agreed by the
parties and the Electoral Assistance Division in New York.

In this regard, I would like to refer to paragraph 9 (d) of
the code of conduct (rights and privileges of observers): "To
observe the campaign, the movement, use and disposal of sensitive
electoral material (ballot boxes and ballot papers, etc.), the
vote, the vote count, issuance and dissemination of election
results, and the access to and use of the media" and paragraph 9
(e): "To examine the documentation related to the registration of
voters, voting and the issuance of results".

Instead, they were ordered to sit down some distance from the
table where the counting was taking place. It was not until the
accredited observer showed the IOM members a copy of the Code of
Conduct (established by the earlier agreement) that Dr. Kottek
and Ms. Ruth finally allowed the observers to stand and get a
closer view of the procedure. However, upon completion of the
vote count, the IOM refused to announce the outcome -- either to
the accredited observers, Indonesia in general, or to the East
Timorese people especially. The observers were told that results
of the referendum would first be sent to Darwin, then on to Dili.

Prior to the voting, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed
concern over the violence that preceded, and followed, President
Habibie's authorization of a referendum for East Timor
independence. As the result of Annan's concerns, the election was
supervised by UNAMET appointees.

By refusing to announce the results, the IOM has succeeded in
further agitating the political unrest and violence in East
Timor, in undermining the agency's own credibility and in
challenging the democratic philosophy which serves as our
nation's very foundation and supports the transparency of
democracy. If UNAMET wanted to demonstrate the transparency of
democracy by supervising the ballot counting, it failed.

DIAN HAVID

Jakarta