23,000 volunteers to be recruited to poll monitoring

JAKARTA (JP): At least 23,000 volunteers will be recruited to monitor the June 7 general election in the city and surrounding areas, an executive at the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) said on Saturday.

Mulyana W. Kusumah, KIPP's secretary-general, said the volunteers would be deployed to monitor the election at polling booths in Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.

"We will start monitoring activities on April 4, when people begin to register at election committee posts," he said after inaugurating the board members of KIPP's chapters in the city's five mayoralties, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.

He said monitoring activities would start with the registration period because there were still many people who believed voters needed their identification cards (ID) to register.

He reiterated that voters could use their driver's license, marriage certificates and other forms of ID to register.

Meanwhile, the chairman of KIPP's Greater Jakarta chapter, Yopie Rayaan, said the recruitment of the 23,000 volunteers had been hindered by a lack of funds.

"Although reports said the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) had allotted funding for monitoring activities, we have not received a penny of it."

The committee sent a proposal to UNDP for funding, he said, adding the recruitment would cost at least Rp 460 million (US$51,111).

He said poll monitors would receive Rp 20,000 each for transportation and meal allowance on June 7.

"However, we are confident we can get the needed funds to be able to recruit the volunteers."

The committee has received funds from the United States-based non-governmental organization USAID to finance its preliminary activities, he said.

He said the funds partly were being used to train 1,000 poll monitors in Jakarta and surrounding areas, adding that about 1,500 additional volunteers would be trained next month.

Yopie said the 2,500 people, including students, employees at private companies and housewives, were expected to help train additional volunteers in their respective areas, adding they also were expected to educate people about the election.

"So we do not just watch activities at the polling booths and calculate the ballots."

Mulyana expressed confidence there would not be many violations in the implementation of the poll in the city and surrounding areas because the media also would directly watch the process.

He said the committee would immediately raise objections if it discovered violations during the election process.

UNDP earlier said it had collected more than $40 million from seven countries to help fund poll monitoring activities. The countries are: Australia, Finland, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden.

At least 50 proposals have been submitted to the UNDP by non- governmental organizations requesting funds.

Among those requesting funds are the three main independent election monitoring organizations: the University Network for Free and Fair Elections, KIPP and the Rectors Forum. (jun)