Poll preparations lacking in some areas: Reports<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Three days before the polls, reports of lacking
\npreparations continue to flow in from across the country.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the General Elections Commission (KPU) announced it
\nwould meet President B.J. Habibie Friday to report final
\npreparations together with the National Elections Committee and
\nthe Election Supervisory Committee. Latest developments in Aceh
\nand other volatile areas will be discussed with the president,
\nKPU spokesman Djohermansyah Djohan said Thursday.<\/p>\n
In Irian Jaya, election officials said they needed about Rp 3
\nbillion to cover the cost of sending and picking up ballot papers
\nfrom the 3,076 polling stations in 12 regencies and one township.
\nThe costs were mainly for transportation by air and sea. Of the
\n173 districts, more than 100 are inaccessible by land transport.<\/p>\n
The secretary of the Provincial Elections Committee, Soekarli,
\ntold The Jakarta Post that to rent airplanes cost US$750 per
\nhour. One hundred hours was needed to cover the province in four
\ndays by air, he said, which would come to US$75,000 (about Rp 712
\nmillion).<\/p>\n
For sea transport, Soekarli said Rp 1.5 billion was needed to
\ncover the regencies of Jayapura, Biak, Numfor, Yapen Waropen,
\nNaire, Manokwari, Sorong, Fakfak, Mimika and Merauke.<\/p>\n
From Palu, Central Sulawesi, Antara reported that
\nneighborhood, village and district poll officials have rejected
\nfunds offered by the Palu mayoralty election committee, saying
\nthe money would not be able to cover the cost of building the 318
\npolling booths required.<\/p>\n
Following protests, the earlier sum of Rp 60,000 was raised by
\nRp 20,000. But the officials said that with such an amount of
\nmoney they refused to be responsible for building the polling
\nbooths, saying one polling station required at least Rp 250,000.<\/p>\n
Dayat, a neighborhood committee member from East Palu, said
\none plank of plywood cost Rp 23,500; one sheet of corrugated
\nroofing iron cost Rp 18,500 and the cheapest timber was Rp 12,500
\nper length.<\/p>\n
The head of the social political office at the administration,
\nA. Syuaib, said he would take up the issue with Mayor Rully
\nLamadjido. He said he was aware the funds were far from enough
\nbut that this was in line with the earlier agreed allotment.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta a member of the Senen poll committee in Central
\nJakarta, A. Hamid, said as of Thursday night, ballot paper pads,
\nink to replace the inferior type and the list of the poll
\nwitnesses had not arrived as scheduled.<\/p>\n
\"Some of the covers of the ballot boxes are broken,\" he added.<\/p>\n
A member of the Kwitang poll committee in Central Jakarta.
\nMuhammad Jafar Anwar, said he was not sure if officials were
\nready to execute the \"complicated\" procedures of the poll as they
\nhad only once received a briefing from a district official.<\/p>\n
Separately the coordinator for ballot counting said the public
\ncan monitor the tallying through the hotlines of 031-663-2100 for
\nSurabaya, 021-2149-1900 for Jakarta, and the premium call hotline
\nof 0809-1-070699. The latter is charged Rp 1,000 per minute, Dana
\nDharsono said. (34\/anr\/49\/ida\/edt)<\/p>",
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