Monday, July 21, 2008
Poll Watchdog Questions Minister's Role in Campaign
Source: The Jakarta Post
Erwida Maulia

The General Elections Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) has questioned the attendance of Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah in a walking event on Sunday, calling it a violation of campaign rules.

Bachtiar, chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Brotherhood (Parmusi), which organized the event, repeatedly held up two and four fingers to teams participating in the event at the National Monument, Antara news agency reported.

Parmusi is a founding organization of the United Development Party (PPP), which will contest the 2009 general elections under the number 24.

During Sunday's event, the host team repeatedly called out "24!" and "Rise up, PPP!".

Cooperatives minister and PPP chairman Suryadharma Ali and PPP secretary-general Irgan Chaerul Mahfiz were also in attendance.

"We are questioning whether Bachtiar was there as a minister or a political party member," Bawaslu member Wahidah Suaib said.

General Elections Commission (KPU) regulations require state officials, including ministers, to submit a request for leave at least three days before taking part in a campaign. Officials are also forbidden from using state facilities for campaign purposes.

The nine-month election campaign kicked off on July 12. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said no ministers with links to political parties would take leave, but would instead devote their weekends to campaigning.

"We can't decide yet whether Bachtiar's presence in Sunday's event constitutes a violation. The minister should have submitted a request for leave," Wahidah said.

If Bawaslu rules Sunday's event was a campaign, the PPP will be in violation of a KPU regulation on campaign zones. The party had been placed in the third group.

Parties in this group are only allowed to campaign in Banten, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan between July 19 and 25.

Bachtiar denied violating campaign rules, saying as both a minister and a party member, he had tried to keep in line with the rules.

"If the rules allow me to take part in a campaign only for a few days, I will heed them. But am I not allowed to help party consolidation outside of work hours, at night for instance?" he said.

Bachtiar added he did not fully understand the regulation on the participation of state officials in campaign activities. But he said he would "obey the rules" and "prioritize my duties as minister".

Bawaslu has also raised concerns about the lack of clarity in the KPU's campaign regulations.

Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, chairman of the PPP faction at the House of Representatives, said Bawaslu should take into consideration Parmusi's status as a social organization.

"Bawaslu has no business supervising Parmusi because it is not a political party taking part in the election," Lukman told The Jakarta Post.

He said Bachtiar and PPP officials were guests at the Parmusi event.