Yusril threatens to put KPU members in jail of polls delayed
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.