22 candidates named for election commission<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives announced on Monday
\nit had received a list of 22 candidates for the General Elections
\nCommission (KPU) from President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
Deputy House Speaker A.M. Fatwa said the House, which received
\nthe list on Friday, would approve half of these candidates for
\nthe commission, as stipulated in the law on general elections
\nwhich the legislative body approved in June this year.<\/p>\n
"As required by the law, the House will select the candidates
\nfrom among those suggested by the President," Fatwa, who is also
\nthe deputy chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), said
\nduring a plenary session of the House.<\/p>\n
The chairman of House Commission II for legal and domestic
\naffairs, Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, said unlike government
\nofficials, the candidates would not be selected through a
\nfit-and-proper test.<\/p>\n
"There will be no fit-and-proper test. We will only hold a
\ndialog," Ferry, a legislator from Golkar Party, said.<\/p>\n
He said a number of the candidates possessed the necessary
\nqualifications and had experience from last year's general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Among the candidates are the former chairman of the Indonesian
\nIslamic Student Association, Anas Urbaningrum, and the chairman
\nof the Independent Election Monitoring Committee, Mulyana W.
\nKusumah. Both were part of the 11-member team which selected the
\npolitical parties to contest last year's poll.<\/p>\n
Other candidates include University of Indonesia political
\nlecturers Chusnul Mariyah, Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin and Valina
\nSingka, Airlangga University political lecturers Daniel Sparingga
\nand Ramlan Surbakti, University of Indonesia sociologist Imam B.
\nPrasodjo, Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat and Catholic priest
\nMudji Sutrisno.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
\nAssociation, Hendardi, and Rachman Tolleng, an activist from the
\n1966 Group of Student Protesters, which helped topple founding
\npresident Sukarno and put Soeharto into power, also were
\nnominated by Abdurrahman for the commission.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives endorsed on June 5 the general
\nelection bill, which replaced Law No. 3\/1999.<\/p>\n
The establishment of an independent KPU as outlined in the
\nState Policy Guidelines is seen as urgent because the original
\nKPU, which consisted of representatives of the 48 political
\nparties taking part in last year's general election, was accused
\nby many of being partial and unprofessional.<\/p>\n
When the government first asked the original KPU to disband,
\nmembers of the commission, particularly those from minor
\npolitical parties, refused to assent to the termination of the
\ncommission. In the end, however, they agreed to comply and
\ndisbanded in June. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/22-candidates-named-for-election-commission-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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