Bribery, blackmail attempts irk KPU: Members<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Bribery and blackmailing attempts have started to daunt members
\nof the General Elections Commission (KPU) as supply procurement
\ntenders worth millions of U.S. dollars for next year's general
\nelections are being processed by the commission.<\/p>\n
KPU member Anas Urbaningrum revealed on Tuesday that an
\nunidentified person recently phoned him to deliver money as part
\nof efforts to win the voter registration paper tender.<\/p>\n
Anas, along with Hamid Awaluddin, is in charge of that tender.<\/p>\n
"The person said he would send someone to me with something in
\na sealed envelope to help secure the tender," said Anas, adding
\nthat the person's phone number was withheld when he received a
\ncall on his cellular phone.<\/p>\n
Anas said he refused the bribe and called on the person to
\ndonate the funds to people in Aceh and other people facing
\nhardships.<\/p>\n
Another KPU member, Mulyana W. Kusumah, said bribery and
\nblackmailing attempts were likely to become widespread as the KPU
\nwould carry out several goods procurement tenders in the next
\ncouple of months, worth over Rp 1 trillion (US$115 million).<\/p>\n
"As a country that is still suffering from economic
\ndifficulty, such a huge amount of money available via the KPU
\nwill trigger high-level business intrigue ...," he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, KPU member Hamid Awaluddin emphasized that the KPU
\ndid not have a policy of asking for money from firms that
\nparticipated in its tenders.<\/p>\n
According to him, that was essential, as a number of parties
\nhad misused the name of KPU to collect funds and blackmail firms
\ntaking part in KPU tenders with a promise of winning the tenders.<\/p>\n
KPU has been carrying out tenders to provide Information
\nTechnology infrastructure, ballot boxes and voter registration
\npapers. It will also put the preparation of ballot papers to
\ntender.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Chusnul Mar'iyah declared on Tuesday a consortium
\nled by PT Integrasi Technology the winner for the time being of
\nthe tender to provide IT infrastructure.<\/p>\n
A consortium under PT Berca Hardaya Parkasa, and PT Asaba
\nComputer Center, were identified as reserve winners, as KPU would
\nallocate five days for any party to file objections to KPU's
\ndecision.<\/p>\n
If there are no complaints within five days, PT Integrasi will
\nbe declared the definitive winner of the KPU IT tender.<\/p>\n
PT Integrasi quoted Rp 152.72 billion to provide IT
\ninfrastructure for next year's elections. PT Berca offered Rp
\n155.54 billion and PT Asaba bid Rp 164.25 billion.<\/p>\n
The technical specifications of the three bidders were quite
\nsimilar.<\/p>\n
Alluding to administrative verification for political parties,
\nMulyana said the Indonesian Catholic Democracy Party (PKDI)
\nmanaged on Tuesday to pass KPU's administrative screening.<\/p>\n
Therefore, of 50 parties registering with KPU, eight have
\npassed the administrative screening and six have qualified for
\nnext year's election as they met the 1999 election's electoral
\nthreshold.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bribery-blackmail-attempts-irk-kpu-members-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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