The rector of the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM), Pratikno, has called on all Indonesian people to monitor the July 9 presidential election to ensure it is honest, fair and peaceful.

Only through such fairness and integrity could the result of the election be fully legitimate and prevent Indonesia suffering a setback caused by a chaotic election, he added.

“There have been increased tensions over the last several days. If we experience a failure in the upcoming presidential election, Indonesia’s democracy will suffer a setback,” said Pratikno after reading out a call for an honest, fair and peaceful election initiated by the university’s leaders and academics in the Balairung Hall, on Monday.

Pratikno said badly prepared overseas voting, partisan media and growing smear campaigns had increased political tensions in Indonesia. Fierce battles between the campaign teams of the two presidential and vice-presidential tickets, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo-Jusuf Kalla and Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa, could potentially trigger election fraud both during polling day and in the days after the election.

“It’s our duty, as middle-class people, to play a role in preventing the situation from deteriorating. Please ensure that information published on social media is reliable and we uphold the principles of tolerance and pay respect to diversity,” said Pratikno.

To ensure a fair and smoothly run election, academics and students from several universities across Indonesia will volunteer to monitor the election. They will stay neutral and document all their activities through photos and videos.

“Our documentation can then be used as evidence. If any election fraud occurs, let us solve it through legal channels,” said Pratikno.

The university’s spokesperson, Wiwit Wijayanti, said 15 private universities and two state universities, as well as the Yogyakarta branch of the Coordination of Higher Learning Institutes (Kopertis), participated in the declaration. (ebf)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/07/08/all-indonesian-people-need-closely-monitor-election-ugm.html