IPPNU volunteers deployed to help secure elections

Jakarta, NU Online
Following an agreement with the General Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), the Female Students Association of Nahdlatul Ulama (IPPNU) said that it would deploy thousands of volunteers to help secure the general elections that will be held on April 9 and July 9 of 2014. <>

Chairwoman of IPPNU Farida Farichah made the remarks on the sidelines of an inverview with the NU's news portal NU Online here on Thursday (3/4).

"IPPNU as the nation's element is called to see the 2014 elections run orderly, honestly, and fairly in addition not to being tainted by violations, frauds, and manipulations of any party,"  Farida said.

Therefore, she added, IPPNU did support sanctions according to the rules of Law No. 8 of 2012 against anyone for being accused of committing crimes and frauds during the elections.

According to Farida, the IPPNU volunteers' involvement is part of political education and participation of citizens to monitor the stages in the much-awaited 2014 elections.

"This movement also encourages every movement of women in  villages to be actively involved in monitoring the elections," Farida said.

She hoped that all parties, especially all the elections organizers to be transparent in the vote-counting process.

"Honesty and transparency is a measure of the quality of elections witnessed by Indonesian citizens both at home and abroad," Farida said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Military Commander, General Moeldoko, said the military "had prepared about 30 thousand soldiers. However, there will be some soldiers who will stand by in the base," Moeldoko said here on Friday.

According to the general, the Indonesian Military (TNI) had instructed the soldiers to prepare for securing the general elections since April 4, 2014, until an unspecified time.

The status of the security effort by the TNI for the general elections will depend on the coordination with the Indonesian Police.

"The TNI will assist in the security effort if the police force asked the military to secure the event," Moeldoko said.

There were three levels of status that were the parameters of security, such as low-intensity conflict, medium-intensity conflict and high-intensity conflict.

The general added that the low-to-medium intensity conflicts were still controlled by the Indonesian Police.

"The TNI will be deployed when the status had reached the level of a high-intensity conflict," he said.

Moeldoko added that the Indonesian Military will conduct all efforts to secure the nation. "When there are problems to the national security, then the TNI Commander will be standing at the front line," he said.

The TNI will also help in securing the presidential candidates who campaign in the different regions in Indonesia. He said the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, had also focused on the security effort for the presidential candidates during campaign events.

"The task of TNI was only to secure the President, the Vice President and the former presidents. Based on the regulation, TNI was not obliged to secure presidential candidates. However, we will secure the candidates for the next president," he said.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq