GOVT, KPU URGED TO IMPROVE VOTERS' LIST SOON

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 25 (ANTARA) - The General Elections Commission (KPU) and the government are urged to take steps immediately to improve or correct data allegedly marked up on the lists of fixed voters so that the legislative election which is scheduled on April 9, 2009 would proceed smoothly.

        "The government, the election organizers and all related parties should sit together soon to make the necessary corrections and announce the results," chairman of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), Wiranto, said in response to alleged marked up of voters' data for the upcoming elections.

        The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) recently disclosed alleged mark-up of data on the fixed voters' lists in East Java.

        The KPU had also received a report on the alleged manipulation of the fixed voters' lists in East Java's electoral districts of Pacitan, Ngawi, Ponorogo, Trenggalek and Magetan.

        According to PDIP, it has raised the issue in an effort to help improve the quality of democracy in the country. "PDIP has revealed the voters' list issue in an effort to improve the quality of democracy so that the people could in real term carry out their sovereignty," Hasto Kristianto, deputy secretary of PDIP's elections success team, said.

        Pros and cons on the alleged manipulation are now developing unhealthily while a concrete solution has not yet been made to ensure the holding of a genuine and democratic election. Thus, it would be better for the government and the KPU to field a team to check the matter.

        "PDIP is willing to give strength to KPU owing to the fact that it works to update data at a time of financial difficulties while the government has the responsibility in providing data on the potential voters (DP4)," Kristianto said.

        The PDIP success team officer said that the PDIP finding was accountable. The mark-up was suspected to be done systematically beginning from the compilation of the DP4 data as a form of government intervention.

        He said that PDIP was of the view that the voters' list manipulation was a systematic effort to discourage voters from exercising their voting rights so that it would give a chance to election manipulation for the victory of those having access to the government.

        But an activist said it was impossible for the government to manipulate data for its own benefit. The alleged mark-up found in the fixed voters lists is not an election fraud but a mistake in the calculation of voters due to weaknesses in the administration system.

        "In fact, mistakes found in the implementation of both general elections and regional head elections are not deliberately made for the victory of the incumbent government but they happen due to weaknesses in the population administration system," Andi Arief, secretary general of non-governmental organization, (JARNAS), said here on Tuesday.

        He said that almost all regions in the country already had the experience to organize this year provincial and district head elections using fixed voters' lists (DPT) issued by the General Election Commission (KPU) and its branches in the regions (KPUD).

        "Most of the elections proceeded smoothly and most of the victories were won by PDIP. This means there is actually no problem in all provinces. I would not say that the PDIP victories were due to mark-up of the list or due to a 'deal' with the organizers," he said.

        He said that with that fact he believed it was impossible that the mistakes found in the lists were deliberately made because candidates from the Democrat Party and Golkar became only the minor winners in regional head elections. Thus, if there is allegation that DPTs in East Java had been marked up, it should be proven first whether or not it was deliberately made, he said.

        In the meantime, Jimhur Saros, another activist from Lempar non-governmental organization of Madura, East Java, said the KPU should correct immediately mistakes in alleged marked up voters' lists before the election was held on April 9, 2009.

        "KPU still has time to improve data in the fixed voters' list (DPT) as long as it wants to work fast," Jimhur Saros. Saros said that if data in the DPT were not corrected it was feared it would create chaos during the election process.

        The same call was also made by leader of the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) Mutia Hatta, saying that the elections organizers should be helped so that the legislative elections would proceed smoothly, fairly and justly based on the schedule.

        Mutia Hatta said that the shortcomings found with the voters lists still could be improved. After all the government has the means and technology to do so.

        "Now we have the technology so that any shortcoming or mistake could be solved well," she said.

        In order to cope with the DPT issues before the election is held, the government and KPU should cooperate. According to Hanura chairman Wiranto, the government and the elections organizers should not abdicate their respective responsibilities.

        "The people now need clarifications and certainties with regard to the complicated DPT issue. Facts have been made public. The problem will remain unresolved if the government and the election organizers abdicate their respective responsibilities," Wiranto said.

        He said that solution to the problem was actually simple. The government, the election organizers and all related parties should sit together, make the necessary corrections and announce the results to the public at large.

        "So, there is no need to accuse with each other on who must be responsible for the mistakes. Just take a firm attitude and give certainty to the people, that's all," Wiranto said.***1*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/13:35/a/f001)