Watchdog drops vote buying allegations

Indra Harsaputra ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Surabaya   |  Sat, 04/11/2009 1:43 PM  |  National

The East Java Elections Supervisory Committee has dropped a vote buying case involving a member of the campaign team of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second son Edhie Baskoro, who is a legislative candidate representing the Democratic Party, citing a lack of evidence.

The provincial police, however, will continue investigating the defamation case filed against Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party legislative candidate Nazirin and Indonesian Advocate Congress (KAI) executive Bambang Kisminarso, who had reported the alleged violation to the poll watchdog.

Chairman of the supervisory committee Sri Sugeng Pudjiatmiko said Thursday the decision followed a plenary meeting of the Ponorogo polls supervisory committee members, who said they could not follow up on the vote buying allegation due to insufficient proof.

"When the Ponorogo poll supervisors gathered to hear clarification from Nazirin and Bambang, the accused and dozens of people who claimed to have witnessed the vote buying practice did not turn up. The evidence, in the form of banknotes and name cards bearing the picture of Edhie Baskoro, is not that solid," Sugeng said.

Nazirin and Kisminarso filed a report against Edhie's campaign team member Samudji, for distributing Rp 10,000 each in cash to voters in Ponorogo during a campaign rally on April 3.

Edhie is contesting a House of Representatives seat from the East Java electoral district that covers, among others, Ponorogo.

Unhappy with the allegation, Edhie filed a defamation lawsuit against Nazirin and Kismiarso.

East Java Police were quick to respond. They arrested and named Nazirin and Kismiarso suspects on April 6. However, the two were released after 24 hours.

The case has been handed over to Ponorogo Police. The regional police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Etik Margawati said the investigation was pending a formal transfer of authority from the provincial police.

Defamation carries a maximum of six years in prison under the Criminal Code.

Vote buying is a serious crime under the 2008 election law. If found guilty, a legislative candidate will be disqualified.

A political party campaign team member said vote buying was rampant in East Java and involved not only political parties but also individual legislative candidates.

On April 6, the Bondowoso District Court convicted United Development Party (PPP) legislative candidate Sugiono to six months in jail and Rp 6 million in fines after the judges found him guilty of distributing free cigarettes bearing his picture and his ballot number to people in Sugerlor subdistrict. The prosecutors appealed the verdict, which they said was too light.

In Lumajang regency, the local poll watchdog reported three legislative candidates from the National Awakening Party (PKB) to the police for allegedly distributing Rp 25,000 in cash to each person attending a gathering they held at a small mosque belonging to a community figure in Jenggrong village on April 7.

The General Elections Commission had set a three-day cooling-off period between April 6 and April 8.

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