2,693 candidates vie for seats at City Council
JAKARTA (JP): Chairman of the Jakarta Provincial Elections Committee (PPD I) Djafar Badjeber announced on Friday that the 48 political parties eligible for the upcoming general election proposed 2,693 candidates to vie for 76 seats at City Council.
Djafar said the number of the temporary candidates, short- listed from thousands of entries from the parties, will more or less remain the same once the fixed number is announced on June 1.
"The difference will possibly be in the order of the names. The rest remains the same unless a candidate resigns or dies before June 1," Djafar told The Jakarta Post at the PPD I headquarters in Central Jakarta.
A separate nine non-elected seats at the council will be allocated for members of the Indonesian military.
The National Elections Committee (PPI) chairman, Jacob Tobing, said earlier that PPI would have to rely on each party's honesty in conducting the administrative screening of legislative candidates.
A candidate is only allowed to run for a legislative seat at the administrative level. This means a candidate must choose to represent his or her party in the House of Representatives and the provincial and regency legislatures, he said.
Djafar said that the list of the temporary candidates would be officially disseminated from May 15 to May 18 to the offices of all five mayoralties and the subdistrict and district offices across the capital.
Lukman Zaini of PPD I public relations said that each of the five major parties -- Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP), the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), contesting in the coming election had at least 150 legislative candidates, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) -- had at least 150 legislative candidates.
Golkar, for example, stands with 151 candidates, with Tadjus Sobirin, head of the Jakarta Golkar party, topping the list. Other familiar party members include city councilors Fatommy Asaari, Ade Supriatna, Soeparmo and Amarullah Asbah.
PPP stands with 152 candidates and Djafar Badjeber, head of the Jakarta PPP party, leads the pack. Current councilors mentioned in the list include Saud Rachman, Afif Hamka and Ali Imran Husein.
PDI Perjuangan stands with 152 candidates with Sumiyati Sukarno temporarily leading the lot. Muhammad Suhardi ranks number one amid the 151 candidates of PAN, while Abbas Saleh Ma'mun leads PKB's 151 candidates.
Azis Boeang, a candidate of PDI Perjuangan, said that if he was elected this time, he would be surprised.
"I have been a legislative candidate four times, when there were only three parties contesting for the City Council seats. Each time I wasn't elected to a seat," said the vice secretary of PPD I.
Djafar said that he was optimistic. "I was elected before. I will be elected now. Just you wait and see," he said with a laugh.
Djafar explained that nearly five million city residents, or about 91.62 percent of total eligible voters, were registered for the general election as of May 14.
Djafar reminded city residents that they should not forget May 15 was the last day to register for the election.
"The remaining 8.38 percent of eligible voters, or 449,951 city residents who have not registered, should register," Djafar said. (ylt)