KPU members criticized for overseas voter program<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman and Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
A coalition of non-governmental organizations criticized on
\nMonday an overseas trip by three members of the General Elections
\nCommission (KPU), branding it a waste of funds that the
\ncommission currently lacked.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency, the Jakarta
\nLegal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) and the Indonesian Forum for
\nParliamentary Concern (Formappi) said in a joint statement that
\nthe trip, under the guise of a voter education program, had
\nlittle relevance to the Sept. 20 runoff election as the bulk of
\nvoters resided in the country.<\/p>\n
\"The number of registered voters abroad is around 458,000 or
\nonly 0.29 percent of a total 153.3 million eligible voters, so
\nthe voter education program for overseas voters should not have
\nbeen a priority for the KPU,\" Formappi secretary-general
\nSebastian Salang said.<\/p>\n
He said that voter education was not of great importance as
\noverseas voters were mostly educated and better informed compared
\nwith voters in the country.<\/p>\n
Beginning last week, members of the KPU will take turns to
\ntravel to foreign countries.<\/p>\n
KPU chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin has just returned from the
\nNetherlands, Austria, Norway and Hungary.<\/p>\n
Commission member Chusnul Mariyah is currently touring Middle
\nEastern countries, while fellow member Daan Dimara is expected to
\nleave for Argentina in the near future.<\/p>\n
Members of the KPU made similar trips earlier in January.<\/p>\n
Nazaruddin defended the overseas journey, saying voter
\neducation was important, regardless of the number of voters.
\n\"However small in number, we cannot ignore our voters abroad,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He also said the trip was part of a KPU campaign to tell the
\noutside world about the country's electoral process and would be
\nvaluable to further diplomatic relations with other countries.<\/p>\n
Data from the KPU secretary-general said the commission had
\nearmarked Rp 19 billion (US$2.1 million) to organize elections on
\nforeign soil and finance the trips abroad.<\/p>\n
The trips were made while the KPU was preparing for the runoff
\nelection on a shoestring budget. The House of Representatives
\nbudgetary committee has agreed, after a prolonged discussion with
\nthe KPU, to disburse Rp 62.9 million in bridging funds to help
\nthe commission organize the Sept. 20 runoff, compared with the Rp
\n418 billion proposed by the KPU.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Nazaruddin said during a meeting with the budgetary
\ncommittee on Monday that the remainder of the election budget
\nshould be disbursed before the end of this month.<\/p>\n
\"Given the significance of the funds to cover a variety of
\nexpenses for distribution of electoral materials and other
\noperational costs, we request that they be disbursed by the end
\nof August,\" Nazaruddin told the hearing, which was attended by
\nMinister of Finance Boediono.<\/p>\n
Nazaruddin was referring to the Rp 356 billion in funds the
\nKPU had earlier requested, in addition to the bridging fund.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kpu-members-criticized-for-overseas-voter-program-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}