Yogie hopeful about fair and honest election

Yogie hopeful about fair and honest election

JAKARTA (JP): Is the 1997 general election going to be fair
and honest? "Insya Allah (God willing)," was the response
yesterday from Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M..

That was the furthest Yogie has been willing to go in
addressing the demands of the two minority parties -- the United
Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
-- that the words "honest and fair" be included in the general
election rules.

However, the government has already rejected demands to change
the electoral rules, saying that the language of the present
regulations implies honest and fair elections. The PPP and the
PDI, which will again challenge the mighty Golkar in 1997, were
not impressed.

To sooth them, Yogie tried to explain his position.

"It is not just up to me, it is also up to the people," Yogie
said yesterday when the question was raised during a hearing with
Commission II of the House of Representatives to review the
current political system.

The minister said the public should not be too skeptical of
the coming election. "We haven't even started yet and people are
already making all sorts of accusations."

His assertion came a week after he warned that the "political
temperature" in Indonesia is rising as the election nears.

The traditionally conservative PPP was the first to draw a
battle line when it announced on Monday that it was taking steps
to prevent cheating, which, it and the PDI alleged, was blatant
during the 1992 and previous elections won by Golkar.

PPP also said that it will sue the government if it fails to
live up to its commitment to ensure fair and honest elections.

Five provincial branches of the PPP have threatened to boycott
the polls unless the government guarantees a free and honest
election.

"Everyone wants the election to be a success. Who wants it to
be unfair and dishonest?" Yogie said.

Yogie chalked up the PPP's latest stance to the party's
internal affairs.

He pointed out that the PPP representatives on the election
committee signed the election results after the votes were
counted in 1992. "They shouldn't complain if they signed the
election results."

Soeryatna Soebrata, the Ministry's Secretary-General, said at
the hearing that party officials should not sign papers if they
are not convinced by the vote-counting.

"If they didn't," he added, "this could strengthen their case
should they take the government to court."

Yogie said complaints should not be raised after elections
held so long ago. "There were no complaints then, why all the
fuss now? All the papers were legal, they were signed from the
local to the central levels."

He dismissed as unfounded the accusations that Golkar had
engaged in veiled election campaigns which contravened the law
and that the political group had been rallying students for its
"cadre meetings".

He said the cadre, or active member, meetings were valid as
long as they complied with the law.

He added that it was natural for political groups to vie for
first-time voters, the number of which could reach as many as 24
million in 1997.

He said that Rp 75 billion (US$33 million) has been set aside
by the government for the elections.

The commission also bombarded Yogie with questions about the
extravagant construction and purchases of facilities for
government officials in the region. They include the distribution
of Rp 170-million Pajero Mitsubishi jeeps to the governor and
regency chiefs in South Sulawesi, the Rp 7-billion residence
being built for the Central Java governor, and the Bekasi regency
chief's Rp 1-billion swimming pool.

Yogie said these facilities were granted with the approval of
the local legislative councils.

The pool was contributed by a group of local businessmen, he
said, adding that no government money had been spent on it. (anr)

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