No Room to Rig Elections: President Yudhoyono

Surabaya, East Java (Antara) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said it would be difficult for anyone now in the current reform era of transparency and democracy to rig elections because there are a lot of parties monitoring them. He said at a meeting with mass media leaders here on Saturday evening that the current elections system and law were made by the House of Representatives (DPR) members who come from various political parties as well as the government in which some of its ministers also come from several political parties and so all of the political parties' aspirations and interests have already been accommodated in the system and law. "Besides that KPU (the general elections commission) Bawaslu (the elections supervisory agency) and MK (the constitutional court) are now also independent and their members are chosen by the multi-party DPR so that all parties involved in the elections organization, supervision and law enforcement are independent. The press that will control the implementation of the elections will certainly also be independent," he said. He said elections rigging could happen if the elections law and system is co-opted for the interests of a sole party's majority and KPU, Bawaslu and MK are not independent or work under the influence of the power of certain quarters. "In the current era it would be difficult for it to happen. From central to district levels all political parties are monitoring. There are witnesses to monitor activities at polling stations, vote counting at polling stations, at sub-districts, districts, provinces and central station. They are all monitored by all political parties involved in the elections. Moreover now information technology is also used to check the counting," he said. President Yudhoyono asked anyone who later discovered elections rigging to report the case through legal avenues such as to Bawaslu and MK and not to resort to violence that could harm the dignity of democracy. He reminded that Indonesia has already entered into and moved to be among countries with established democracy as proven by the country's success in holding general elections three times peacefully and smoothly so far with two of them being carried out directly. In view of that he called on the military (TNI) and the police to also assure the peace and security of the elections this year. "Our political and security situation must remain stable so that development and investment would continue to grow," he said. President Yudhoyono predicted political situation in the country would be more dynamic and heated up as a new political map would emerge following the legislative elections on April 9 and ahead of the presidential election on July until the inauguration of the new president on October 20. "I hope anyone who loses the elections could accept the loss with a big heart although it is painful," he said. (*)