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.