Jakarta. The Elections Supervisory Body, or Bawaslu, says it will question Anis Matta, the president of the Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS, over the alleged involvement of minors in a campaign rally.
“Based on evidence we have from our investigation, Anis Matta has deliberately involved underage individuals in the party’s campaign rally, therefore we plan to summon him and he will be sanctioned according to the law,” Muhammad, the Bawaslu chief, said on Tuesday.
He said the PKS had violated campaign rules by involving children during its official campaign launch on Sunday.
Muhammad said PKS had consciously chosen to bring children in its political campaign citing the party’s agenda to provide children with a political education.
Electoral law clearly prohibits the involvement of minors in political campaign events because it is seen as a form of exploitation.
“There was a report that the PKS deliberately involved children in their campaign to build an early awareness of political militancy, and I believe this has violated the aforementioned law and the 2013 KPU [General Elections Commission] regulation on election administration,” Muhammad said.
He added the summons for Anis was signed on Tuesday and would be issued immediately.
If proven to have violated the law, Muhammad said, it was possible the PKS might lose its chance to continue campaigning.
The campaign period, which began on March 16, ends on April 5.
Anis previously told Detik.com that he had talked to Bawaslu prior to Sunday’s campaign about the children’s involvement.
He said that as a family-oriented party, the PKS aimed to offer a “political education” for children.
He said involving children in campaigns would help them be more politically conscious.
Muhammad said the PKS was not the only party that had used children in its campaign.
“Our evaluation of the first two days of the campaign period has shown that all parties have ignored the prohibition to bring children to campaign events,” he said.
Muhammad said the 2013 KPU regulation specifically stated that it was prohibited to mobilize any citizen who was not eligible to vote in a political campaign.
The voting age in Indonesia is 17.
The 2002 Children Protection Law also prohibits the mobilization of anyone under 18 for military or political interests, making any violation punishable by a jail sentence of up to five years or a Rp 100 million fine ($880).
Political parties that did not mobilize children deliberately but still allowed their supporters to bring their children to rallies would be given a warning, Muhammad said.
“Repeated violations can be punishable but that depends on the KPU. We hope there will be a firm sanction for all violators,” he said.
The KPU’s “open campaign period,” during which parties are allowed to hold gatherings and marches and advertise in mass media, will end four days before the April 9 poll.
On the administrative end of the elections, KPU has divided the 12 participating political parties into three groups, each of which will share similar campaign schedules around the country.
The first group, for example, consisting of the PKS; the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the current poll leader following its nomination of Joko Widodo as its presidential candidate; the National Democrat Party (NasDem); and the National Awakening Party (PKB) are scheduled to campaigns in Jakarta on March 16, March 24 and April 1.
The second group, comprising the Golkar Party, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN), are allowed to campaign in the capital on March 18, March 26 and April 3.
The United Development Party (PPP), the People’s Conscience Party (Hanura), the Crescent Star Party (PBB) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) will be allowed to campaign in Jakarta on March 20, March 28 and April 5.
Source/Fuente: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/pks-chief-answer-govt-poll-watchdog-...
