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Viewing cable 07SURABAYA59, NORTH MALUKU: FISTICUFFS AND FALSE STARTS MAR GOVERNOR'S

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07SURABAYA59 2007-10-22 11:11 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Consulate Surabaya
VZCZCXRO5705
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJS #0059 2951111
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221111Z OCT 07
FM AMCONSUL SURABAYA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0083
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0026
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0075
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 0007
RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 0085
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0009
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0024
UNCLAS SURABAYA 000059 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, IRN/EAP, DRL/PHD, INL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KISL KCOR ID
SUBJECT: NORTH MALUKU: FISTICUFFS AND FALSE STARTS MAR GOVERNOR'S 
RACE 
 
This message is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Violence and confusion continues to plague 
the race for Governor and Vice Governor in the Province of North 
Maluku.  The official start date for the campaign has changed 
three times amid violent physical assaults and accusations of 
favoritism on the part of the Provincial Election Commission 
(KPUD).  A 19 October brawl between followers of the Sultan of 
Ternate and supporters of the incumbents shows that the official 
campaign season, which started on 17 October, will likely travel 
a very rocky road to election day on November 3. And there is 
always the possibility that the election will be rescheduled yet 
again. END SUMMARY 
 
2.  (SBU) S. Ahmad of the North Maluku Provincial Election 
Commission (KPUD) told Consulate General Surabaya that the date 
of North Maluku's election has been changed from October 25 to 
November 3 as a result of requests by the challengers. 
Previously, the North Maluku KPUD scheduled the start of the 
campaign on October 5 and election day on 25 October. Mr. Yamin 
Tawary, former Chairman of North Maluku Golkar, told us that 
challengers forced the KPUD to abandon its original decision to 
start the campaign on October 5 because campaign activities 
would break the electorate's concentration during Ramadan 
fasting.  Tawary said the KPUD caved in to this pressure and 
agreed to postpone the start of the campaign to October 17. 
Tawary also told us that KPUD members were known to favor 
certain candidates and this cast suspicion on their decisions. 
The chairman of KPUD supports the incumbents while the other 
members are supporters of various challengers, said Tawary. 
Provincial media reported that anger over the KPUD's decision 
and suspected double-counting of potential voters in some 
districts resulted in an assault on Rusli Djalil, the Head of 
the Ternate Election Commission, and his staff by a group of 
angry citizens on 11 October. 
 
3. (SBU) The incumbent Governor Thaib Armaiyin, and his running 
mate Abdul Ghani Kasuba are supported by three parties: the 
Prosperity and Justice Party (PKS), the Democratic Party (PD), 
and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).  Their supporters disagreed 
with the postponement of the campaign, arguing that Ramadan is 
not an emergency circumstance.  Tawary told the Consulate that 
the fight over timing has more to do with campaign strategy on 
both sides than with Ramadan.  If the election runs beyond their 
term of office, the incumbents lose access to official vehicles, 
offices and staff. 
 
4.  (SBU) All four pairs of gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial 
candidates were scheduled to kick off their campaigns on 17 
October by presenting their campaign vision and mission at the 
offices of the North Maluku KPUD.  The challengers appeared, but 
the incumbents failed to do so, opting instead for a separate 
rally on 19 October.  Groups allied with the Sultan of Ternate 
assaulted supporters of Armaiyin and Kasuba at the event, 
accusing them of using a field adjacent to the Sultan's palace 
without permission.  One representative from the incumbents' 
campaign was beaten by the Sultan's supporters and sustained 
critical head injuries according to local press reports. 
Although sporadic violence continues in North Maluku, according 
to S. Ahmad of the KPUD, all preparations for election day are 
on track.  According to Yamin Tawary, however, the Election 
Oversight Committee (Panwasda) has discovered that voter rolls 
are still incomplete.  The KPUD is unprepared for any elections, 
this month or next, said Tamary. 
 
MCCLELLAND