Yusril threatens to put KPU members in jail of polls delayed

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In a reaction to the General Elections Commission's decision (KPU) to prohibit his next campaign activity, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra threatened to jail the commission's nine members, if they failed to hold the general election simultaneously throughout the country on April 5.

"We will jail the KPU members if they fail to organize the next election because they have spent so much money but with disappointing results," Antara quoted Yusril as saying when campaigning for his party, the Crescent Star Party, in Padang, West Sumatra.

The commission decided on Monday to stop Yusril's next campaign rally, because he has used up all of his official campaign leave as approved by President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Commission member Hamid Awaluddin, and chairman of the campaign working committee, said the decision to stop Yusril's next party rally was made as Yusril held a rally on Monday in Padang, West Sumatra, which is outside his schedule on March 15 and March 26.

The Supreme Court had also sent an edict to the KPU, saying the dispensation given by President Megawati Soekarnoputri to Yusril to take six-days leave had violated Government Regulation No. 20/2004 on electoral campaigning for state officials that stipulates a maximum of two-days leave for a state official, he added.

"We will not allow Yusril to campaign until the end of the campaign period on April 1. We just want to uphold the electoral campaign regulations," Hamid told a press conference.

Meanwhile, Banyumas Police Precinct declared Slamet Effendy Yusuf, a legislative candidate from Golkar Party, as a suspect for early campaigning in the regency last month, or about two weeks before the official start of the campaign period on March 11.

"We will use force if he refuses to answer the summons for a third time," said a police officer.

Banyumas's Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) regretted Slamet's refusal to fulfill the police's summons because on Monday the Golkar's executive was in Banyumas.

Meanwhile, Jakarta's Panwaslu alleged that PDI-P had brought in supporters from outside the city to join the rallies in Jakarta.

"There is strong indication that PDI-P has mobilized its supporters from outside Jakarta," the Committee's deputy chairman Cholil Nafis said on Monday.

He said his office had issued a warning to PDI-P as such a practice violated the Election Law.