YLBHI report criticizes rights abuse during poll
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)