NGO group opens posts for election dispute mediation

Luh De Suriyani and Ni Komang Erviani ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Mon, 03/16/2009 4:25 PM  |  Bali

The Alliance of Bali NGOs and Civil Society (ALASE) has set up special posts to handle complaints from the public related to the upcoming elections.

"Members of the public can report election fraud or violations to these posts," Ngurah Karyadi, coordinator of ALASE said Friday.

The posts will also offer assistance for candidates to settle non-criminal disputes.

ALASE is made up of several rights and environmental NGOs, including the Bali Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), the Indonesia Legal Aid Association (PBHI), Manikaya Kauci, Mitra Bali, Wisnu, Limas and the Indonesia Environmental Forum (Walhi).

ALASE expects to establish the special posts at all regencies and municipalies in Bali. The head post has been opened at LBH's office on Jl. Plawa, Denpasar.

"We urge the public to immediately report any fraud or violations they witness to these posts," he said.

The posts, Karyadi stressed, could function as an alternative channel through which the general public could play an active role in monitoring and ensuring the fairness of the political process.

"We will handle the disputes involving election participants through a mediation process. Disputes triggered by criminal actions will be processed in coordination with the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu), which has the legal authority to handle such cases," Karyadi added.

The establishment of the posts is a necessary move, Karyadi argued, because it is expected that the upcoming election will be prone to conflict. It is also expected to be delegitimized by a low turn out of voters, which will in turn detract from the legitimacy of the elections.

"The fact that several voting simulations held by the election commission failed to attract a large number of voters is clearly an ominous sign of the possible low turn out of voters," he said.

Head of the Denpasar Regional Elections Commission (KPUD), Ray Misno shared similar sentiments.

"The results of the simulation are simply shocking; voter participation is very low and the number of invalid ballots is huge," he said.

Besides establishing the special posts, ALASE will also issue a list of recommended candidates as well as a list of what they deem to be "rotten" politicians.

"We have already compiled a short list of recommended candidates. We will promote them to the public and we will closely monitor their performances once they are elected," Karyadi said.

Those candidates have pledged to implement several strategic issues once they win their seats. The issues include human rights protection, gender sensitivity, and environmental conservation.

"We are currently gathering information on the candidates and hopefully we will be able to compile a list of rotten politicians," PBHI's director Ni Nyoman Sri Widiyanthi said.

ALASE has identified several parameters for the "rotten" politicians, including involvement in corruption, domestic violence, illegal logging and supporting developers and and investors who threaten the integrity and sustainability of the island's culture and environment.

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