Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Sixteen political parties in Aceh, two of them local parties, have called for the rescheduling of the gubernatorial election and have threatened a boycott if the Independent Commission for Elections (KIP) fails to meet their demands.
The election is scheduled for October, but the protesting parties want the ballot to be postponed until January next year, citing that security conditions were not conducive due to differences between the executive and legislative bodies over a regulation on whether or not independent candidates would be allowed to run in the poll.
"If Aceh election goes ahead, the consequences are that political parties will not nominate candidates for governor, regents or mayors," Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) cadre Karimun Usman said on Friday.
The political environment has grown increasingly tense, partly due to altercations between incumbent Governor Irwandi Yusuf and his former political vehicle, the Aceh Party, which has representatives in the provincial legislative body along with 15 other parties.
Aceh is the only province allowed under election law to have local parties contest provincial legislative seats following the 2005 Helsinki Peace Agreement between Jakarta and the now-defunct Free Aceh Movement (GAM), then under the leadership of Irwandi.
While his popularity helped the Aceh Party beat the other five local parties in the 2009 legislative election, Irwandi and the Aceh Party are on opposing sides prior to the next election. Now that he has split with his party, Irwandi is pursuing a second term by running in the next election as an independent candidate.
The Aceh Party, supported by 15 other parties, is seeking ways to bar his candidacy by helping draft a bill, a clause of which stipulates that a candidate must be nominated by political party. The bill has not yet been enacted because Irwandi has refused to sign it.
The 16 political parties signed a letter in Banda Aceh on Friday to be sent to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the KIP for postponement of the election.
The signatories were the Aceh Party, the Aceh Sovereignty Party (both local parties), the Democratic Party, the Golkar Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), PDI-P, the Indonesian Party of Justice and Unity (PKPI), the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Patriot Party, the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the Star Reform Party (PBR), the Pelopor Party and the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).
Aceh Gerindra branch secretary Mukhlis Muchtar said that with the executive and legislative bodies still differing over election regulations, the KIP should postpone the election in order to stem possible grass roots political conflicts.
"I'm sure the election will be disputed in the future because of lack of clarity in the legal foundation," Mukhlis said.
Brigadier General Sumardi, a military officer in charge of domestic politics, said that the demand by political parties for the election to be postponed would unlikely be consented because of the absence of a legal basis. He said elections would be held despite the threat of a boycott.
"The election can be postponed only under emergency conditions, such as destabilized security, disasters and lack of funds," he said, adding that only the KIP could propose an election postponement.
He said the KIP could use previous regulations, based on Aceh administration law, to organize the election. He added a legislative rejection of independent candidates was legally unacceptable and would contradict the Constitutional Court (MK)'s ruling.