Gus Dur to remain election abstainer

Jakarta, NU Online
Former president KH Abdurrahman Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur, said on Tuesday he would not exercise his constitutional right to vote in Wednesday`s presidential elections.

He said his reason for not taking part in the election, or to remain a `golput` (abstainer), was because the General Elections Commission (KPU) was still "full of fraud."<>

Gus Dur who is also the chairman of the law-making body of the National Awakening Party (PKB) stressed he would not go to any polling station (TPS).

"About the presidential election tomorrow, I will not come to the TPS to exercise my voting right because the KPU has committed a lot of fraud, particularly with regard to the fixed voters` lists (DPTs)," he said.

He said based on reports he had received there were still a lot of eligible citizens who had not obtained invitations to the polling stations to cast their ballots.

According to the former president, although the Constitutional Court (MK) had ruled identity cards or passports could be used to vote, the measure would not have a significant effect on the quality of the presidential election.

Moreover, the time to familiarize the people with the MK`s ruling was too short and it would also not be easy to use identity cards because the time for its use was restricted.

MK chairman Mahfud MD said on Monday evening that all citizens who were not registered in the final electoral roll could show their IDs in order to cast their vote.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) will stage a presidential election next Wednesday. Three presidential candidates are to contest the July 8 poll for the 2009-2014 term of office.

The three presidential and vice presidential pairs are Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running mate Prabowo Subianto (Mega-Pro), Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his pair Boediono (SBY-Boediono), and Jusuf Kalla who runs for president with Wiranto (JK-WIN). (ant/dar)