Who suspects whom?

Soon Indonesians will go to the polls. Three contestants -- two political parties and the functional group Golkar -- are working hard to win the election. This is a good sign and indicates that democracy is alive in the hearts and minds of the Indonesians.

Weeks before the election day the Indonesian sky will reverberate with shouts of slogans of the contesting parties. Youths wearing party T-shirts will rip through the streets on trucks. We will hear campaign speeches delivered by the party leaders, selling their ideological and political merchandise.

What alarms me is that everybody is suspicious of everybody, and feels the need to supervise the election. Of course the government must ensure that the election is conducted according to the existing rules. For that purpose it has created the Election Supervision Committee, chaired by the Attorney General.

In his speech in Yogyakarta, the committee chairman assured the public that the election would be fair, adding that although he was a member of Golkar he would be impartial.

In my opinion, the committee is enough to ensure that everything will be conducted fairly. But what do we see at this moment? Every organization and everyone want a share in the supervision of the election. If I am not mistaken, we now have the Independent Election Monitoring Committee, the Objective Election Watchdog Team, and the Independent Body for Supervision of KIPP. This suggests that the independent body is suspicious of the independent committee.

I also read that the United Development Party will set up affiliated youth units to supervise the election. The Indonesian Democratic Party will most likely do the same. All these activities and creations are legal. Golkar chairman, Harmoko, said (Angkatan Bersenjata, April 15, 1996) that every citizen has the right to supervise the election. He will create a task force of Golkar youth to help the government committee. It is not clear, however, whether Harmoko said that in his capacity as minister of information or as the Golkar leader.

I am afraid that during the election there will be more unofficial inspectors than voters. How is the government going to cope with and organize the NGOs presence at the polling stations. Only the Attorney General can answer this. I hope he will explain his strategy.

The press questions whether ex-communist detainees will be allowed to vote. Our law rightly answers this issue.

There is no need to fear these few hundred thousand ex- detainees because they have learned their lessons and the Indonesian people have a mighty shield called Pancasila.

I quote the President's state address on Aug. 16, 1976, about the communists detainees: "However big their mistakes were, which have almost brought down our nation and country to destruction, they always will remain amidst the big family of Indonesians. We have to receive them back into our community."

Furthermore, the Koran states: "So pass over their faults and ask for God's forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs of the moment. Then when thou hast taken a decision, put thy trust in God. For God loves those who put their trust in Him." (Sura III Al Imran verse 159).

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta