Up to 52 Aceh villages may be denied elections

Up to 52 Aceh villages may be denied elections

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As many as 52 villages in war-torn Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam may
skip the elections due to the unfavorable security situation
there, a senior Cabinet minister said on Monday.

"The government will first assess the security situation in
those villages before deciding on holding elections there",
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs ad
interim Hari Sabarno said after a Cabinet meeting led by
President Megawati Soekarnoputri,

He said that he would leave for Aceh on April 1 to visit those
villages, mostly found in North and East Aceh regencies, believed
to be the strongholds of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
which has been fighting for independence for the resource-rich
province since 1976.

The country will hold the legislative election on April 5,
followed by the presidential election on July 5, and a possible
runoff on Sept. 20.

Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh reported to Megawati early on
Monday.

"It is quite difficult to hold elections in these 52 villages,
but if the President orders a delay in the elections then we will
try to do it," Puteh said after the meeting.

The government launched a massive military operation in May
last year aimed at crushing Aceh rebels after a peace agreement
brokered by the Switzerland-based Henry Dunant Center collapsed.

Rights and pro-democracy activists have called for a delay in
the elections in Aceh, fearing that the Acehnese would not feel
free to express their aspirations under tight military guard.

During the ongoing 21 days of campaigning, few areas in Aceh
witnessed the noisy campaigns of political parties.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto
said after the Cabinet meeting that it would be impossible for
the TNI to temporarily move people in 52 villages just to cast
their votes.

"We cannot afford to trouble the people by transferring them
for the election. There has to be a better solution to the
issue," Endriartono said.

Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said
that foreign observers could not go beyond municipalities in Aceh
for security reasons.

"As observers they have to abide by our regulations, and that
is, they cannot go beyond municipalities. There should be a
further decision on which areas they can enter," the minister
said.

Hassan further said that the decision would be taken by the
Aceh military authority in Aceh.

Separately, General Elections Commission (KPU) deputy chairman
Ramlan Surbakti said that the KPU had issued a letter to Aceh's
KPUD, approving the latter's request to register 200,000
ineligible voters in the province.

Ramlan also said the commission gave dispensation to Aceh to
establish polling stations in the front of mosques as long as the
establishment of the polling stations was approved by the mosque
management. There are a total of 2,523,059 voters in Aceh.