23,000 volunteers to be recruited to poll monitoring

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)