Election emergency plans<\/p>\n
Having denied the facts for weeks while apparently waiting for
\nsome kind of miracle to happen, the General Elections Commission
\n(KPU) yesterday was finally forced to admit it would be
\npractically impossible for the country to hold simultaneous
\nlegislative elections throughout the country on April 5.<\/p>\n
Speaking after a meeting with President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, KPU boss Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin conceded the
\ncommission had no other choice but to delay the balloting in
\nseveral regions, especially in remote areas in Kalimantan,
\nMaluku, Papua, Aceh and North Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Because the law requires the election should be conducted
\nsimultaneously, however, the government, the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) and the Commission now need to work
\ntogether to provide a legal framework to serve as a legal base
\nfor the delay. Any postponements will create more problems in
\nvote counting. They will also delay the announcement of the final
\nelection result.<\/p>\n
We regret the commission has buried its head in the sand on
\nthis issue because local KPU officials have been openly
\ncomplaining about the slow printing process and erratic delivery
\nof ballot papers, ink and other materials. If the commission had
\nacted earlier, the problem could have been solved faster with
\nless cost.<\/p>\n
But the problems are not just about ballot papers. In Jakarta
\nalone, thousands of registered voters have yet to receive their
\nvoting cards. In several regions, there are reportedly not enough
\nfunds to build simple polling booths. There are reports the
\ninformation technology (IT) network prepared by the KPU is still
\nnot operational in many places. There is also concern over
\nsecurity issues surrounding the vote counting.<\/p>\n
In facing this emergency, however, we hope the political
\nparties, the House of Representatives and the government, will
\nnot waste more time and blame only the General Elections
\nCommission for the delay, or wash their hands of this failure.
\nHouse members must remember they also could be blamed for this
\nproblem, because of their failure to pass election-related bills
\non time last year.<\/p>\n
Despite these shortcomings, however, many people still respect
\nthe integrity of the commission's members. They are certainly
\nundertaking a huge task, and as most of them are academics who
\nhave no experience in bureaucratic work, to a certain extent we
\ncan understand the shortcomings.<\/p>\n
It is time now to sit down together to ensure the delay will
\nbe as minimal as possible, and to control the damage it might
\ncause. It is hoped all parties will refrain from exploiting the
\ncommission's blunder, putting their own short-sighted interests
\nabove those of the nation's.<\/p>\n
Containing the damaged that has been caused by the delay must
\nbe our main focus now.<\/p>\n
In this context, we regard the threat of Minister of Justice
\nand Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra on Monday to jail KPU
\nmembers as unproductive. As a government official and as the
\nleader of the Crescent Star Party (PBB) he should show his
\nstatesmanship in resolving this crisis. It is also regrettable
\nthe Golkar Party has found it necessary to issue a statement --
\nfrom executive Agung Laksono -- rejecting any election delays.
\nWhile we can understand the parties' disappointment, their
\nremarks will only worsen the situation.<\/p>\n
The KPU is expected to use all possible resources, including
\nIndonesian Military (TNI) transportation, to accelerate the
\ndelivery of the ballot papers and speed up other election
\nactivities. While it must maintain its independence, the KPU must
\nbe more flexible from now on in overseeing the counting of the
\nballots and other related activities.<\/p>\n
The election must be held as scheduled, although postponements
\nin certain areas seem unavoidable. But the principles of a free,
\njust and democratic election must not be sidelined just because
\ninitial deadlines were not met.<\/p>\n
The show must go on. When these legislative elections are
\nover, we will still have to face the July 5 direct presidential
\nelection and a possible runoff on Sept. 20. If this legislative
\nelection is derailed because of technical problems, the next
\nelection will also be in doubt.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/election-emergency-plans-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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