Watchdog expects local polls to be success

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The unprecedented direct presidential and legislative elections last year were widely praised as free and fair.

One of the organizations that contributed a great deal to the successful elections was the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES).

Prior to the legislative election in April 2004, IFES provided significant support, including training and education for both election officials and voters.

IFES also advised the General Elections Commission (KPU) as regards the drawing up of campaign finance regulations and the timely registration of candidates, as well as monitoring people's political preferences through a series of nationwide surveys.

Indonesian IFES chief of party, Victor Butler, said that IFES assistance and support helped Indonesia produce an enhanced and impartial electoral framework compared to previous elections.

The electoral management bodies have also developed, with improved capacity to carry out their work.

"I think we're now in a situation where the support work at the KPU is coming to a conclusion," Butler said.

The IFES office here, therefore, will be closed on March 31, with the termination of its project funding.

However, the organization's presence in the country will be maintained, although limited to essential, local staff.

"Nothing is finalized yet, but we would like to continue our work here. We see that there are still many things to be done. People keep asking us for additional support," Butler said.

Aside from the publication of a post-election national survey, IFES is preparing some collaborative ventures with the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) to build up its capacity to reach out to its constituents.

"We might do some work with the elections for local chief executives as well, as there will be a need for support during these elections. It is an important further step in cementing the democratic process and democratic framework in Indonesia," said Butler.

It is a bit worrying, he said, that while the date for the start of the project has been set for June, the mechanisms for the local elections has not been finalized yet.

"We're lacking information at present. It's not really clear whether it's about the funding, the regulations ... There are only bits and pieces, not a clear picture."

However, Butler said this was not an unusual problem in a new democracy like Indonesia.

"Sometimes we have to deliver things and make the best of the situation that we have and make it work, and election people here are very good at that. I'm sure the same professionalism (as shown in the general election) will be brought to the next elections," he said.

Butler said he was optimistic about the democratic process in the country, despite the problems facing the people elected, such as the recent brawl in the House of Representatives and the emergence of so many parties.

"In a newly democratic country, a high level of expectation is raised, but it's very difficult to fulfill that in a short period of time. It took hundreds of years in Europe, and yet no system is perfect. Every system is improved, refined, developed," said Butler.

Founded in 1987, IFES is a non-profit organization aimed at supporting the building of democratic societies.

It does a great deal of its work on the ground with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and processes the needs of particular countries that USAID thinks need support.

With staff specialized in the law, civil society, good governance, election administration, applied research, human rights, gender issues and information technology solutions, IFES has developed and implemented comprehensive, collaborative democratic solutions in more than 100 countries.

According to Butler, in terms of population spread over a large geographical area, Indonesia faces the same problems as Nigeria, where IFES is helping address the problem of corruption.

"What is enlightening is that you are asking people to make a choice. Starting from that common perception, we work on how people make the choice, formulating the mechanism for enabling people to do that, etc.," Butler said.