Election Commission officialy dissolved<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has issued two
\ndecrees on the dissolution of the much-criticized General
\nElections Commission (KPU) and dismissal of its 53 members.<\/p>\n
\"All former KPU members are expected to return all facilities,
\nincluding official cars and cellular phones, to the state,\"
\nspokesman for the election commission Djoeharmansyah told The
\nJakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The decrees were officially signed on June 7.<\/p>\n
Djoeharmansyah explained that the commission's dissolution was
\nbased on amendments to the 1999 law on general elections which
\nwas endorsed by the House of Representatives earlier this week.<\/p>\n
\"The presidential decree will be issued to recruit eleven
\nprofessionals to establish and run a new and independent general
\nelection commission as it is required by the law,\" he said.<\/p>\n
KPU has come under severe criticism for its poor handling of
\nthe 1999 general election.<\/p>\n
Several staff and members of the commission are undergoing a
\npolice investigation over their alleged involvement in the
\nfinancial leakages during the last election.<\/p>\n
But commission members from minority parties are fighting
\nagainst the decision, claiming it was part of a national
\nconspiracy to discredit their parties.<\/p>\n
\"The amendment of the general election law is a conspiracy
\nbetween the government and major parties at the House to suppress
\nminority parties,\" said Sri Bintang Pamungkas, chairman of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI).<\/p>\n
Chairman of KPU's executive board Agus Miftach said minority
\nparties would file a lawsuit against the President to the State
\nAdministrative Court over the presidential decree.<\/p>\n
\"The two presidential decrees are the last bullets fired to
\nkill minority parties. This is really a tyranny of the majority
\nagainst the minority,\" he said.(rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/election-commission-officialy-dissolved-1447893297",
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