---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, JULY 27 1999 Election: KPU Not Mature Enough To Develop Democracy, Analyst Says Jakarta, July 26 (ANTARA)- The failure of the General Election Commission (KPU) to unanimously endorse the 1999 election results showed that it was not mature enough to develop democracy, a Singapore-based political analyst said. "This also showed that the 27 parties which rejected the election results were not ready to accept defeat," Bilveer Singh of the National University of Singapore told ANTARA here Monday. As long as the culture of being able to accept defeat is not developed, Indonesian Democracy cannot grow properly, he said, adding that if the political leaders do not grow up politically, democracy would not stand a chance to develop. In a KPU plenary session earlier on Monday, 27 ot of 48 political parties which contested in the June 7 elections rejected the election results, while 17 accepted them, two abstained and two did not show up. The rejection was based on the pretext that the recent election had not been free and fair and in which many deviations occured. Sing further said such a condition also proved that the political parties and their leaders are more interested in looking after their own narrow personal and party interest than that of the country as a whole. "These parties and their leaders are more a threat to nation unity and development than otherwise because by their action will help various elements that may want to take advantage of the situation in order to weaken the country," he said. He also expressed concern that if a gloss of legitimacy is not given to the result which has been accepted as far and just, the political situation in the country will worsen, and in turn, aggravating and undermining the economic recovery that has started to take place. "In short, by sabotaging the election results, these small and minor parties have signalized to the Indonesian people and the world at large that it is indeed true that some of Indonesians are not ready for democracy," he said. According to Singh what is needed is more political education before the parties and their leaders can act on behalf of the people. (T/P-8/NN-06/19:45/INT-NG/22:06/NN-03/TB02) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 30 Jul 1999 jam 07:53:37 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
