Jakarta, Jan 18, 2013 (ANTARA) - As Indonesia prepares for general election in
2014, government officials and other stakeholders are looking into ways
to increase security in the region.
The Indonesian Police (Polri) and the General Election Commission (KPU)
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on security arrangements for
the general election on January 16, 2013.
The MoU is a follow-up to Decree No. 09/SKB/KPU/2008 and Decree No.
8/7/VII/2008, with regard to security arrangements for the general
election.
"The MoU will ensure that the general election proceeds smoothly," said National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo.
General Timur is keen to implement maximum security measures during the elections, which are held once in five years.
"Some of the challenges foreseen by authorities are money politics and
controversies regarding the number of eligible voters," Timur noted.
"If these problems are not managed properly, they could affect the social fabric of the nation," he pointed out.
"If these problems are not managed properly, they could affect the social fabric of the nation," he pointed out.
The police chief said he will ensure that elections are carried out in a
professional, a neutral and an impartial manner.
Another MoU on integrated law enforcement was also signed by the
national police, the general elections supervisory body and the attorney
general.
Law enforcement cannot be implemented by one institution alone; it
should also involve other institutions and the public, said Attorney
General Basrief Arief.
The next direct presidential and parliamentary elections in 2014,
however, are expected to proceed in an orderly manner, with only ten
political parties allowed to participate in these elections.
The ten parties (written in accordance with their sequence numbers as
electoral participants) are: the Partai Nasional Demokrat (Nasdem) or
the National Democratic Party, the Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa (PKB) or
the National Awakening Party, the Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS) or the
Prosperous Justice Party, the Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan
(PDIP) or the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the Partai
Golongan Karya (Golkar Party) or the Golkar Party, the Partai Gerakan
Indonesia Raya (Gerindra) or the Great Indonesian Movement Party, the
Partai Demokrat (PD) or the Demoratic Party, the Partai Amanat Nasional
(PAN) or the National Mandate Party, the Partai Persatuan Pembangunan
(PPP) or the United Development Party, and the Partai Hati Nurani Rakyat
(Hanura) or the People`s Conscience Party.
The KPU will allow only ten political parties to contest in the 2014
general election. The other 24 parties had failed to meet the
requirements to participate in the elections, said KPU¿s chairman, Husni
Kamil Manik.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed hope that outdoor campaign
rallies involving hundreds of thousands of people could be replaced by
indoor activities with one to two thousand attendees.
He said if indoor campaign rallies take place, candidates will be able
to present their views more freely and people will be able to understand
their speeches better.
The head of state also said all the parties should support the winner
of the presidential elections and should be willing to cooperate with
him/her so that he/she can manage the country well.
"Anyone who wins the presidential elections should be given ample
support so that he/she can manage the country well. It will be hard for
him/her to lead the country if the public does not cooperate," he said.
With regard to the president's idea on allowing only indoor rallies, General Timur Pradopo said he supports the idea.
"It's good. It is regulated. We will follow it. KPU should look into indoor rallies," he said.
KPU commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay said KPU should not prevent people
from presenting their ideas or opinions on the implementation of
elections.
Based on the KPU¿s Regulation Number 15 of 2012 on the stages,
programmes and schedules of the 2014 general election, the campaign
period will start on January 11, 2014, and end on April 5, 2014. Voting
will take place on April 9, 2014.
Political parties are not allowed to have outdoor rallies, and they are
not allowed to place banners 21 days ahead of the cooling down period.
Limited meetings, however, could be carried out during the period and
should involve a maximum of 1,000 attendees at central areas and 250
attendees at district/city areas.
The meetings could be carried out after the KPU, the Elections
Monitoring Agency (Bawaslu), the Elections Monitoring Committee
(Panwaslu), and local police stations are notified, he said.
Outdoor rallies and campaign advertisements in the mass media are only allowed from March 16 to April 5, 2014.
"We should follow these procedures. We will discuss more about the
regulation for holding rallies at a later stage," he said.
According to President Yudhoyono, competition will be tight in the
presidential election next year - the third direct presidential election
held by Indonesia since the first one in 2004.
"The 2014 presidential election will be different from the elections
held in 2004 and 2009 because there will be no incumbent in the 2014
elections, while the political arena will be wide to increase the level
of competition," he said recently.
Yudhoyono is not allowed to participate in the election as he has been a president for two terms.
"There is nothing to be afraid of. The election will proceed smoothly.
The presidential election will be carried out directly. International
institutions claim that Indonesia¿s presidential elections are fair,"
the president stated. ***1****(f001/INE/B003)
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