Edict issued to delay poll in remote areas<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Jayapura<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri signed on Friday a regulation
\nin lieu of law to enable the country to hold the legislative
\nelection on Monday as scheduled, while also authorizing the
\nGeneral Elections Commission (KPU) to delay the election in
\nseveral remote areas due to logistic problems.<\/p>\n
Citing geographical difficulties in Papua and West Irian Jaya
\nprovinces as an example, the government said it needed to provide
\nthe legal basis for the KPU to delay the election in several
\nremote areas in the country.<\/p>\n
\"We are set to hold the election nationwide on April 5, but we
\nhave to provide the legal instrument to allow several areas to
\nnot hold the election simultaneously,\" ad interim coordinating
\nminister for security and political affairs Hari Sabarno said
\nafter a meeting between the government, House of Representatives
\nand the KPU.<\/p>\n
The regulation is aimed at amending two articles in Law No.
\n12\/2003 on the general election.<\/p>\n
The amendment modifies Article 45, which originally required
\nthe Commission \"to complete the distribution of ballot materials
\n10 days before the election\". According to the new version, the
\ndistribution must be done \"before the election\", and not 10 days
\nbefore the election as mandated by the law.<\/p>\n
In Article 119, the amendment adds \"technical and
\nadministrative problems in the distribution of election
\nmaterials\" as another reason for the KPU to justify a delay in
\nthe election in several areas.<\/p>\n
Originally the articles only named natural disasters, riots
\nand insurgencies, as legitimate reasons for a delay. With the new
\nregulation regional KPUs have the authority to delay the election
\nand set new dates for the poll.<\/p>\n
\"This is not an intervention because we made the regulation
\nbased on an official request from the KPU,\" Minister of Justice
\nand Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said.<\/p>\n
The minister said that the regulation was retroactive in that
\nit was considered effective 10 days before the April 5 election
\nday.<\/p>\n
The logistics of the distribution of election materials such
\nas ballot papers, boxes, and ink has been the main concern of the
\nKPU since they failed to meet the March 27 deadline to complete
\nthe distribution of the materials especially the ballot papers.<\/p>\n
Separately, commission member Mulyana W. Kusumah predicted
\nthat some 2,500 of 585,218 polling stations might not receive
\nballot papers by April 5 as the polling stations were located in
\nremote areas.<\/p>\n
Some areas that had only reached a coverage of 90 percent in
\nthe distribution as of Friday were Banda Aceh, in Aceh, and Deli
\nSerdang, Serdang Bedagai and Samosir regencies of North Sumatra,<\/p>\n
Indragiri Hilir regency in Riau and Subang in West Java had
\nreceived 95 percent of the ballot papers. Gorontalo and Makassar
\nwere in a similar predicament.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Papua's KPU province head, Ferry Kareth, has asked
\nfor a delay in the election in 11 out of 20 regencies in the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
\"We have submitted a letter to the KPU in Jakarta as it is
\nimpossible for us to ensure the distribution is completed by
\nApril 4,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The nine regencies that will hold the election on time are
\nKota Jayapura, Jayapura, Biak Numfor, Supiori, Keerom, Yapen
\nWaropen, Waropen, Nabire and Mimika.<\/p>\n
The 11 regencies where the poll will be delayed are Paniai,
\nPuncak Jaya, Yahukimo, Tolikara, Jayawijaya, Boven Digul, Mappi,
\nAsmat, Sarmi, Pegunungan Bintang and Merauke.<\/p>\n
He said that the some of the villages in those 11 regencies
\nthat could hold the election on time will have the election on
\nApril 5, as all of the ballot papers had actually arrived in the
\nregencies.<\/p>\n
\"As for the rest, we are still trying to distribute the papers
\nas some of the areas can only be reached on foot and not by plane
\nor helicopter,\" Ferry added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/edict-issued-to-delay-poll-in-remote-areas-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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