SBY absent from Bawaslu questioning

The Jakarta Post – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was a no-show Wednesday at the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) office to clarify alleged campaign violations for the July 8 presidential election. The incumbent was represented by members of his campaign team to answer Bawaslu’s summons. His campaign team head, Hatta Rajasa said Yudhoyono was in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, to attend a ceremony commemorating the Cooperative Day.

“His business in Samarinda is in line with his state duties as the president,” Hatta told a press conference at Bawaslu office. Yudhoyono was reported to have launched a hidden campaign session while addressing all 33 governors in Indonesia in a teleconference held July 7.

The report was filed by Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running mate Prabowo Subianto.

Yudhoyono said after the teleconference that he had expected the governors to help regional polling bodies in ensuring a successful and peaceful election.

The allegation may evolve into a misuse of state power should Yudhoyono be found guilty.

“The teleconference meeting was part of SBY’s job as a president to ensure a proper and peaceful election,” Hatta, who is also the State Secretary, said in response to the allegation.

Legal coordinator for Yudhoyono’s success team, Amir Syamsuddin, said people needed to listen to the teleconference recording before launching any accusations.

However, Gayus Lumbuun, PDI-P coordinator for legal affairs, said the coordinating role for peaceful elections fell under the authorities of the General Elections Commission (KPU), not the president.

“SBY should have also attended the summons personally, not being represented by his team,” he told The Jakarta Post via text message.

Bawaslu member Wirdyaningsih said Home Minister Mardiyanto would be summoned next. Mardiyanto showed up later in the evening.

Meanwhile, KPU chief Abdul Hafiz Anshary showed up at Bawaslu office to answer the summon.

Wirdyaningsih said Anshary was questioned on KPU’s considerations before deciding to involve the US-based International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in the vote-counting.

Abdul, she said, failed to thoroughly answer questions on IFES involvement.

The foreign agency’s involvement was another complaint raised by the Megawati camp.

“The law stipulates that those who intentionally distort the vote counting information system must be jailed for a minimum of five years and pay a minimum Rp 2.5 billion fine,” the Megawati campaign team secretary, Fadli Zon, told a discussion on electoral fraud.

“KPU should have not have let a foreign institution to take part in vote counting, a very critical part of the election.”

Meanwhile, George Aditjondro, a political analyst from the Sanata Dharma University, also questioned IFES involvement, saying KPU might break a law prohibiting it from receiving foreign aids.

“IFES is funded by USAID so KPU should have questioned whether or not IFES had a hidden agenda,” he told the discussion.

“IFES usually helps to set elections in authoritarian countries. A kind of constitutional coup.”

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