Objections pour in over 22 KPU candidates<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives has received a
\nsignificant number of public objections to the 22 government-
\nproposed candidates for General Elections Commission (KPU)
\nmembership, a legislator said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, deputy chairman of the House
\ncommission II on home and legal affairs which is screening the
\ncandidates, said here on Tuesday that most of the 900 letters
\nsent to the commission questioned the candidates' integrity and
\nprotested their candidacy, while only a few supported them.<\/p>\n
\"We will consider the public's objections and support during
\nselection of the candidates,\" he said, adding that after the
\nscreening, the candidates would undergo a fit and proper test
\nbetween March 7 until March 10.<\/p>\n
Among the candidates are former chairman of the Indonesian
\nMuslim Students Association (HMI) Anas Urbaningrum and chairman
\nof the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) Mulyana
\nW. Kusumah. Both Anas and Mulyana were on the 11-member team
\nwhich selected the political parties eligible to contest the 1999
\nelections.<\/p>\n
Other candidates include University of Indonesia (UI)
\npolitical lecturers Chusnul Mariyah, Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin and
\nValina Singka; Surabaya-based Airlangga University's political
\nlecturers Daniel Sparringa and Ramlan Surbakti; UI sociologist
\nImam B. Prasodjo; Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat; and Catholic
\npriest Mudji Sutrisno.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
\nAssociation (PBHI) Hendardi and Rachman Tolleng, an activist of
\nthe 1966 Group of Student Protesters which helped topple founding
\npresident Sukarno and put Soeharto in power, were also nominated
\nby the government for the commission.<\/p>\n
The establishment of an independent KPU as outlined in the
\nstate policy guidelines is seen as urgent because the original
\nKPU, which consisted of representatives of the 48 political
\nparties taking part in last year's general elections, was accused
\nby many of being partial and unprofessional.<\/p>\n
Ferry declined to elaborate on the public's objections and
\nsupport of the 22 proposed candidates.<\/p>\n
He said the commission would stick to the law on general
\nelections in setting all criteria for the KPU's members and would
\nnot bow down to political pressure in selecting the candidates.<\/p>\n
\"Our commission will not merely depend on input from the
\npublic, but also on the criteria stipulated in the law and the
\ncommission itself,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He cited that independence and personal integrity were two
\ndecisive characteristics which the candidates must possess in
\norder to pass the selection process.<\/p>\n
\"The KPU's independence will depend on its members and will be
\na decisive factor in organizing free and fair elections,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Amien Aryoso, chairman of the commission, said he was
\npessimistic that the commission would be able to select 11 out of
\nthe 22 candidates due to strong public objections.<\/p>\n
\"The commission has decided that the KPU will have 11 members
\nand we want to pick those 11 people from the 22 candidates. But,
\nthe commission could ask the government to propose alternative
\nnames if most of the current candidates fail the fit and proper
\ntest,\" he said. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/objections-pour-in-over-22-kpu-candidates-1447893297",
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