Candidates may be disqualified<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
With 30 percent of Jakarta's legislative candidates facing
\npossible disqualification, doubts are emerging as to just how
\nqualified the Jakarta Provincial Elections Commission (KPUD) and
\nits supervisory committee (Panwaslu) are to do its job.<\/p>\n
\"At least 60 percent or more than 900 candidates failed to
\nsubmit the required documents by the deadline on Dec. 29. After
\nwe called them one by one, we found half of them could not
\npresent valid documents,\" said the KPUD chairman, Mohamad Taufik,
\non Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"For example, KPUD decided that two candidates must be
\nexcluded from the list because they were only 19 years old while
\neight candidates have used fake medical records from Fatmawati
\nhospital. We have also been told by many schools that the
\ncertificates we are checking are not valid,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Law No. 12\/2003 on general elections and KPU regulations
\nstipulate that all candidates must be 21 years old or above to be
\nelected as representatives. They must be certified as healthy and
\nshould be senior high school graduates. They must also have a
\nvalid Jakarta identity card.<\/p>\n
KPUD will wait until Jan. 19 to decide whether these
\ncandidates are qualified. If the candidates fail to qualify then
\nthe parties will have to propose new names to the KPU before Jan.
\n27, after which the KPUD will announce the list of eligible
\ncandidates for the 24 political parties contesting the polls.<\/p>\n
KPUD spokesman, Hamdan Rasyid, said that most of the parties
\nhad failed to fulfill the quota for woman candidates.<\/p>\n
\"Most parties have submitted lists with only 10 percent to 15
\npercent of woman candidates. Many parties believe they do not
\nhave to comply with the 30 percent quota by law. So far, only the
\nProsperous Justice Party (PKS) and Indonesian Justice and Unity
\nParty (PKPI) have fulfilled the quota,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A survey by the Voice of Justice group (Suaka) charged that
\nthe KPUD had neglected the voting rights of Jakarta's
\nmarginalized groups such as street vendors, laborers, scavengers,
\nthe unemployed people and housewives by concentrating only on the
\nmiddle to higher income groups.<\/p>\n
The survey said that 92 percent of the 410 respondents were
\nnot aware that there had been a change in the electoral law while
\n93 percent did not understand how to vote. Most of them, 86
\npercent, did not know the KPUD existed and almost 90 percent did
\nnot understand its function.<\/p>\n
Taufik rejected the survey, saying that KPUD had done many
\nthings to promote the Elections Law and regulations up to the
\nsubdistrict level, but admitted that the voting mechanism would
\nbe promoted this month.<\/p>\n
\"We promoted the essence of the Election Law and regulations
\nup until December. We'll promote how to vote starting this
\nmonth,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A trainer for the Jakarta Elections Supervisory Committee
\n(Panwasluda), the only agency that has the authority to supervise
\nthe KPUD, Rusdin Moh. Nur, said that Panwaslu personnel had
\ndifficulties in enforcing the regulations on electoral
\nviolations, such as campaign violations and conflict resolution.<\/p>\n
\"They can understand the meaning of the articles in the law
\nbut have difficulties in matching violations with the relevant
\narticles,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/candidates-may-be-disqualified-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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