KPU nixes imported ballot boxes<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The General Elections Commission (KPU) canceled on Thursday its
\ncontroversial plan to import 250,000 ballot boxes from China.<\/p>\n
Head of the ballot box tender committee Mulyana W. Kusumah
\nsaid the KPU feared that the boxes would not arrive on time.<\/p>\n
\"As the firm does not have ready stock and it faces
\ntransportation problems, we think it is too risky to continue
\nwith the plan,\" he said referring to a firm in China.<\/p>\n
Mulyana did not mention whether the order was made too late.<\/p>\n
Upon their return from a survey trip to China to locate a firm
\nto produce the boxes, the KPU team decided to shelve the plan, he
\nsaid. The firm had a production capacity of 30,000 boxes a day,
\nbut delivery time from Shanghai to Jakarta was 10 days, he said.<\/p>\n
With 47 days left until the legislative election, the KPU is
\nunder pressure to produce 2.4 million aluminum ballot boxes
\nfollowing winning bidders' failure to meet the order.<\/p>\n
The import plan had sparked controversy, as importing firm PT
\nTricipta Adimandiri had no sales tax records for the past two
\nyears, according to a tax document obtained by The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Mulyana said the KPU had offered an additional order for
\n250,000 boxes to PT Tjakrindo Mas and CV Almas, the second and
\nthird bidders, but only Tjakrindo accepted the offer. Almas
\ndeclined the offer as it did not have the production capacity.<\/p>\n
With the additional order, Tjakrindo will produce 1.6 million
\nboxes and Almas will produce 400,000 boxes, while tender winner
\nSurvindo Indah Prestasi has only produced 402,000 boxes.<\/p>\n
Tjakrindo and Almas have been producing ballot boxes since
\nJanuary, following Survindo's failure to produce its initial
\norder of 2.19 million boxes on schedule.<\/p>\n
KPU secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo said Tjakrindo had a
\ngood record in producing ballot boxes, so it was not apprehensive
\nabout disbursing the Rp 72 billion payment in two installments.<\/p>\n
Tjakrindo claimed it had finished producing 877,000 boxes on
\nFeb. 15 and that production continued at its full capacity of
\n60,000 boxes per day.<\/p>\n
In regards ballot paper printing, Mulyana said that 17
\nprinting firms had reached an agreement with the KPU as to the
\nprice, except Genta Singgalang Press.<\/p>\n
Several firms would sign a contract with the KPU on Wednesday
\nat 7:00 p.m., so they could start printing as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
Mulyana said the ballot paper film with the complete list of
\nlegislative aspirants for the House of Representatives, Regional
\nRepresentatives Council and Provincial\/Regional Legislative
\nCouncil would be available on Friday at the latest.<\/p>\n
However, a tax document obtained by the Post shows that at
\nleast two printing firms, listed by their initials JT and JAI,
\nrecorded no sales or tax in 2003. In addition, JT had just
\nregistered with the tax office in July.<\/p>\n
Another company, WLP, was registered as a four-wheel
\nautomotive company according to the document, but as a printing
\nfirm at the Jakarta Chamber of Trade and Industry. WLP recorded
\nsales of Rp 192 million in 2003, or only Rp 16 million per month
\nand made a tax payment of Rp 19.2 million.<\/p>\n
The KPU must prepare 660 million ballot papers for the April 5
\nlegislative election, and the KPU has scheduled all election
\nmaterials to be delivered to poll stations across the country by
\nMarch 25 at the latest.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kpu-nixes-imported-ballot-boxes-1447893297",
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