YLBHI report criticizes rights abuse during poll
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) expressed concern yesterday over "widespread human rights violations" in the May general election and its lead-up.
In its report titled YLBHI's Perspective on the 1997 General Election, the foundation described this year's election as the most violent in Indonesian history.
The foundation's secretary for operational affairs, Munir, said the foundation's fact-finding team found that human rights violations had worsened quantitatively and qualitatively.
"The rise of the overall level of material damage and loss and the number of casualties, including fatalities and those injured, in the 1997 election, is considerable," Munir said.
The May 29 election was the country's seventh. The first was in 1955 under the Sukarno administration.
The foundation noted that the main violator of human rights was the state as the election's organizer.
Violated rights included the right to life, freedom from fear and intimidation, freedom from torture, cruel and inhumane punishment, freedom to think and believe, freedom of expression and freedom of association, the report said.
Students
In East Java, the local election committee excluded 11,000 students of Islamic boarding schools from its list of eligible voters, thereby stopping them voting. Other violations included torture, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, discrimination and insult.
Islamic boarding schools in East Java generally support the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP), the strongest contender of the government-backed Golkar party.
The principles of a direct, free and confidential election, which are standard for general elections, were not met, Munir said.
Munir said public expectations for the freedom whether to vote, democratization and an independent and objective election had not been met.
"The government still limits the participation of both the people and the political parties in the election," he said.
Foundation chief Bambang Widjojanto cited an absence of legal mechanisms for the state to process electoral law violations.
"Officials in charge of ballot counting violated rules, such as not opening ballot boxes prior to voting. There are still many loopholes in the law which allow cheating," he said.
The foundation called for a review of the 1985 political laws, including the ones on general elections and political parties, to encourage a more democratic electoral system.
The report noted an acute increase in people's political awareness and realization of their crucial role in determining the nation's future, which could be achieved by choosing whether to vote.
But the existing political system could not accommodate the people's increasing enthusiasm, it said.
"Instead, it (the government) sought to tighten control through violence and repression. The lack of institutional channels results in public frustration, which was evident during the entire election process, including campaigning." (40/05)