Poll authority sticks to PDI-P ban<\/p>\n
Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Samarinda, East Kalimantan<\/p>\n
The East Kalimantan General Election Commission (KPUD) has
\ninsisted on its decision to bar the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle's (PDI-P) East Kalimantan chapter from the
\nlegislative election.<\/p>\n
\"We've upheld our earlier commitment to disqualify political
\nparties that did not meet the requirements by submitting a valid
\nlist of legislative candidates by a certain date,\" said
\nNoersyamsu Agang, the chairman of the KPUD, after a plenary
\nmeeting at the KPUD on Friday.<\/p>\n
The situation in East Kalimantan province, a region where PDI-
\nP has some strong support, remained calm on Friday, one day after
\nthe KPUD announced the controversial decision to prohibit the
\nparty.<\/p>\n
In the 1999 election, PDI-P won 13 of 45 seats in the East
\nKalimantan provincial council.<\/p>\n
The current debacle clouding the PDI-P began when Imam
\nMunjiat, the chairman of PDI-P's East Kalimantan chapter,
\ndiffered with Soekardi Jarwo Putro, the secretary-general of the
\nchapter, on the names of legislative candidates from their party.<\/p>\n
Soekardi, who is currently the speaker of the East Kalimantan
\nprovincial council, rejected the list of legislative candidates
\narranged by Imam in December.<\/p>\n
The two were then locked in a bitter dispute over which PDI-P
\nmembers deserved to be put on the list. They eventually failed to
\nhand over the final list of legislative candidates on Jan. 19,
\nthe date of the deadline for the political parties to hand it
\nover.<\/p>\n
The KPUD had granted an opportunity for the two to resolve the
\ndifferences by Tuesday Jan. 27, but they were still unable to
\nbreak the impasse. The KPUD again gave them a bit more leeway of
\ntwo more days.<\/p>\n
However, despite that, the chapter executives still failed to
\ncome up with a valid list, prompting the KPUD to disqualify the
\nwhole party. The chapter had previously planned to nominate 46
\nlegislative candidates.<\/p>\n
Following the controversial decision on Thursday, the KPUD
\nexecutives are planning to meet with the central KPU executives
\nin Jakarta immediately to discuss the matter.<\/p>\n
It is still unclear whether the decision by the KPUD is final
\nand binding. It also is unclear whether the central KPU has a
\nveto right on the decision made by the local KPUs.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post was unable on Friday to reach Ramlan
\nSurbakti, the deputy chairman of the central KPU and Anas
\nUrbaningrum, a member of the central KPU to confirm whether they
\nhad such a right.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Imam said that a team from the PDI-P central board
\nwas attempting to hold a meeting with the central KPU to discuss
\nthe case.<\/p>\n
\"We have not taken a stance yet. We are waiting for the
\noutcomes of the meeting between the central KPU and the team,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
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