TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Muslim team against delaying elections

A coalition of Islamic-based groups, calling themselves the Team for a Successful Election, has urged the government and General Elections Commission (KPU) to adhere to the current election schedule, saying that delays would create a power vacuum that could give the military the chance to step in to fill the void

The Jakarta Post
JAKARTA
Fri, April 3, 2009

Share This Article

Change Size

Muslim team against delaying elections

A coalition of Islamic-based groups, calling themselves the Team for a Successful Election, has urged the government and General Elections Commission (KPU) to adhere to the current election schedule, saying that delays would create a power vacuum that could give the military the chance to step in to fill the void.

“This election has to be successful because if we fail it will spark chaos and the military will reclaim power. If that happens we will have to start democracy from scratch,” team leader Syarwan Hamid told journalists Thursday.

According to Syarwan, a retired military general, the team was formed last month to monitor the 2009 general elections in the hopes of preventing possible conflict that could disrupt the polls on April 9.

The team includes members of the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI), the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) and the Islamic Propagation Council.

The team will deploy its members at the grassroots level to assure that the elections run smoothly and fairly.

They will promote the importance of elections through mosques and the media and encourage people to exercise their right to vote.

The MUI previously issued an edict which bans Muslims from boycotting the elections.

Syarwan, who was home minister under President BJ Habibie between 1998 and 1999, said that monitoring was needed especially because the media had reported the systematic manipulation of voter list in East Java, Jakarta, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, Central Java and West Java, which would benefit a certain party.

“It is our duty to make sure there is no fraud or data manipulation in the elections. We have to prove to the international community that we are conducting democracy properly,” Syarwan said.

A number of new parties have demanded the KPU postpone the elections until the voter lists are fixed. The government and major parties, however, played down the concerns.

The KPU has vowed to hold the elections on April 9 nationwide despite logistical problems.

The East Nusa Tenggara regencies of East Flores and Lembata, however, have been permitted to  postpone the elections until April 13 so as they don’t interfere with religious ceremonies which also fall on April 9th.

Syarwan and his team believe that free and fair elections will ensure better leadership for the country.

Secretary of the team Siti Nurbaya said that many regulations existed to support honest polls.

“I think the problem of eligible voter lists can be resolved by the regulation in-lieu of law recently issued by the president. What we need is the spirit to do that,” she said.

Siti is the current secretary-general of the Regional Representatives Council.

Syarwan said the team had met with KPU members and asked them to distribute the valid eligible voters lists to parties at least seven days before elections, in order to allow them to validate the rosters.

“Seven days may not be enough time for a thorough check, but at least we can use it for verification at polling stations,” Syarwan said.

He expressed optimism that the elections would result in legitimate representatives even though many expect violations and conflict will plague the event.

“The 1999 and 2004 elections proved previous dire predictions inaccurate. There was no chaos or conflicts during those two elections,” he said. (naf)

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.