Deja vu: Voters recast ballots in a poll station in Salahutu district, Central Maluku regency on Thursday. The regency election commission called for a revote in two polling stations in the district after discovering voting committee and official witnesses at the two stations used left over ballot papers to cast extra votes in last week’s election. (JP/Azis Tunny)
Some 900 people cast ballots in a revote in two polling stations in Salahutu district, Central Maluku, on Thursday, after the local polling body found serious violations in last week's election.
Eligible voters came to the two polling stations to revote but they were given no information on what parties are leading vote counts.
Legislative elections in Tulehu and Liang villages were annulled after poll workers were caught red-handed marking and submitting leftover ballot papers on voting day.
The revote past peacefully with the presence of the local elections supervisory committee, security personnel and witnesses from political parties contending in the election.
Chairman of the local elections supervisory committee Noch Tihurua said he doubted the knowledge of the poll workers and witnesses who marked the remaining ballot papers.
Chairman of the districts ad hoc election committee Salahutu Sudarmadji appreciated the local polling bodies decision to annul the election in the two villages, saying those involved in the scandal should be brought to justice.
"Six members of the ad hoc election committee and party witnesses in the two polling stations deserve jail sentences as their wrongdoing constitutes an electoral crime," Jantje Tjiptabudi, a member of the local election committee, said.
Poll workers in the two polling stations were replaced by those from other villages, as the local election supervisory committee has already filed a report on the election violation to the local police for processing.
Meanwhile, the Ambon District Court has sentenced two legislative candidates of the Reformed Star Party (PBR) to six month prison sentences and fines of Rp 6 million (US$560) each after they were found guilty of buying votes to win seats at the House of Representatives.
The panel of judges, presided over by I Wayan Kawisada, said Ifrin Latuconsina and Irfan Tahir Manggala were proven guilty of giving Rp 200,000 to attendees of their opening political campaign on March 16, an act which violates Chapter 218 of General Election Law No. 10/2008.
"Witnesses gave testimony to the court that the two defendants were involved in a vote buying case, although the money was used to buy bottled water for the campaign attendants," he said
He explained that the actions of the defendants were also against the government's agenda of a free and fair election and that the case could set a bad precedence for similar cases in other areas of the country.
The court session turned chaotic when hundreds of the defendants' supporters ran amuck and damaged chairs at the court building in protest against the court's verdict.
The chaotic situation was brought under control after dozens of police personnel were deployed to disperse the crowd.
In reaction to the court's verdict Ifrin and Irfan said they would be appealing to the High Court because purchasing bottled water for attendants of a campaign was not in violation of the law.
In related developments, several owners of silk-screening business in Bandung, West Java, have complained about a number of political parties and legislative candidates who have not pay their bills for the production of T-shirts and other campaign materials ordered in the run up to last weeks election.
Wawan Gunawan, owner of a silk-screening shop on Jln. Majapahit, said he has suffered huge losses as several political parties and legislative candidates have been reluctant to pay their debts, which come to a combined total of Rp 5 billion.
He added that he was considering bringing the case before court to seek justice and set a precedent for future elections.
Lumbangaol, who runs a garment business, said he was hunting down a number of political parties and legislative candidates who had yet to pay a total of Rp 2.4 billion in remaining fees.
"I am scattering to bring this case to the parties' leaders because they were former Army generals," he said, adding that he received the orders to silk-screen millions of T-Shirts and many other campaign materials on the basis of mutual trust.
Manarwie Munamah, chairman of the Bandung silk-screening cooperative, disclosed that ten units of the cooperative have complained about the failure of a number of other political parties to pay the remaining Rp 5 billion debt for their orders of silk-screened T-shirts, pamphlets, banners and party flags for the campaign season.
"Many owners of silk-screening houses were deceived because a part of the job orders was received from brokers," he said.
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