News Focus: Aceh People Poised for Peaceful Election

By Otniel Tamindael Jakarta, March 15 (ANTARA) - In less than a month the people in the Indonesian westernmost province of Aceh will go to the polls to elect their new governor/deputy governor on April 9, 2012. During that simultaneous regional elections, expected to run peacefully and safely, the people of Aceh will also elect their district heads/deputy district heads, and mayors/deputy mayors. The Aceh province is made up of 18 districts and five municipalities. On Wednesday, all candidates of governor and deputy governor, district heads and deputy district heads, and mayors and deputy mayors came together in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh to jointly declare peaceful regional elections in the province. To that declaration, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto in Banda Aceh on Wednesday assured that the regional elections in the province would truly be peaceful. "The presence of all prospective governor/deputy governor as well as district heads and deputy district heads in this joint declaration will ensure the peaceful and successful regional elections in Aceh," Djoko said. He noted that their presence to jointly declare peaceful elections in the province was something extraordinary. Commenting on several bloody incidents in the province recently, the security minister said, "Let us forget it and face a better future for Aceh because the police and security official will enforce the law." Meanwhile, National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo also expressed hope that the declaration would be a joint commitment to realizing a peaceful and successful elections in Aceh Province. Timur said the declaration of peaceful elections should not simply be a ceremonial activity but it had to be truly implemented during the elections. He also noted that the bloody incidents recently in various districts across the province would be processed according to existing law. According to National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas Ham) spokesman Ifdhal Kasim, some 12 serious acts of violence involving firearms and explosives occurred throughout the province during the past few years. Therefore the Komnas Ham is seeking action by the government to put an end to repeated acts of violence in Aceh Province prior to the election. "We want security officials to completely address the violent acts in the province before the gubernatorial election," Komnas Ham spokesman Ifdhal Kasim said here on Monday. Ifdhal made this remark after a meeting with Aceh acting Governor Tarmizi A Karim to discuss preparations for the upcoming elections. The National Commission on Human Rights spokesman also asked the Aceh provincial government to play its part in ensuring that the elections are held without any problems and guarantee the rights of the local community. Meanwhile, Aceh Police Chief General Iskandar Hasan in Banda Aceh early this month also admitted the heightening of political climate in province before the elections, but he called on the local public figures and political elite to jointly bring it under control. Iskandar noted that violent and criminal cases at several areas in the province in the past few weeks were still being investigated but the problem was that the police had yet to have the witnesses and evidence of that cases. "We have yet to have the witnesses and evidence of those criminal cases and therefore the local people who happen to see such incidence should have courage to report it to the police as soon as possible," Iskandar said. But he said the security condition in the province was relatively conducive for the upcoming simultaneous regional elections on April 9, 2012. "There is no problem. Although the political climate is heating up, the security situation in general is under control and conducive for the regional elections," Iskandar noted. He made the statement after a meeting of the candidates of governor and deputy governor with Aceh acting Governor Tarmizi Karim in Banda Aceh. Further, acting Aceh Governor Tarmizi A. Karim said the local people were in an urgent need of psychological comfort in the face of the upcoming elections. "All people of Aceh are in need of psychological comfort, peace, and security before the elections," Tarmizi told the candidates of governor and deputy governor at a meeting in Banda Aceh recently. He said the pairs of governor and deputy governor aspirants in the upcoming regional elections should meet as often as possible to unite their joint efforts to seek peace and security ahead of the elections. Tarmizi also expressed hope that the success team of each pair of governor and deputy governor aspirant should work together with the local government to free the local people from fear and intimidation. "A peaceful election can only be created if the people feel free to sincerely elect whoever they want to elect without pressure and intimidation," Tarmizi noted. He asserted that the local government and civil servants have had a strong commitment to being neutral in the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, Central Aceh District Head Nasaruddin said peaceful elections in Aceh was crucial to speeding up the development march in the province. "All parties in the province must play their part in ensuring peaceful, honest and fair polls in order to accelerate the development process in the province," he said. Around 3.3 million people in Aceh will elect the governor and vice governor, along with 17 pairs of district heads and vice district heads during the upcoming April 9 election. To achieve peaceful elections in Aceh, Nasaruddin called on all parties and stakeholders to provide valuable and positive contribution. (*)