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Revealed - vote-buy plan for PS staff

Source
Sydney Morning Herald - May 17, 1997

Louise Williams, Jakarta – An elaborate scheme to grant Government employees two votes each in the coming national elections has raised fears that the Soeharto Government plans to cheat to maintain its majority in the face of growing opposition.

The scheme, set out in an official memo circulated within the Department of Information, instructs public service employees to obtain extra voting cards for use in Jakarta's city centre in the May 29 polls.

The memo says staff must also vote near their suburban homes "to ensure victory for Golkar", the Soeharto regime's ruling political movement.

"Considering the urgency of the cause and the unforeseen nature of the circumstances, we expect your support to cover the cost," the memo said, referring to a charge of about $3 for each extra voting card.

All Government employees and their families are obliged to vote for Golkar, a regulation which guarantees tens of millions of votes for the Soeharto Government and which has drawn bitter criticism from the opposition.

But massive opposition rallies over the past three weeks have indicated that the Government is increasingly unpopular and may be unable to attain its 70 per cent vote target, despite tight curbs on opposition campaigning.

Details of the memo published in the national daily Kompas outline an agreement between the governors of West Java and Jakarta to permit public employees living in the suburbs to be issued with an extra identity card to vote in the cities. West Java is a major residential area for Jakarta workers.

The director-general of the Department of Information, Mr Subrata, said he had not received the circular but an official from the opposition United Development Party warned that if the plan went ahead, his party would not accept the election results.

"Once I receive it, I'll check its contents," Mr Subrata said.

The Soeharto Government has cancelled an invitation to foreign observers to come to the elections and has barred a local poll watchdog from the voting booths and counting rooms.

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