Almost all Jakarta DPD candidates have submitted fake supporter IDs
Almost all Jakarta DPD candidates have submitted fake supporter IDs
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) announced on
Thursday that nearly all 73 candidates for the Regional
Representatives Council (DPD) had submitted supporter ID cards
that had been faked.
KPUD chairman M. Taufik said that the finding was based on the
factual verification result of people whose photocopied ID cards
had been enclosed with candidacy registration forms submitted by
candidates.
"Around 60 percent of the samples that we checked denied
giving support to certain DPD candidates," he told the media at
City Hall.
KPUD has taken a 10 percent sample of submitted ID cards for
verification. Each candidate must enclose at least 3,000
photocopied ID cards from supporters.
Last week, KPUD officers visited people whose ID cards were
submitted to check if they were genuine supporters of the
candidates.
The procedure stipulates that candidates still have until
Saturday to submit copies of their supporters' ID cards to
replace the fake ones.
Taufik said that the second factual verification would take
place within the next fortnight and the final list of candidates
would be announced next month.
On the basis of the verification, KPUD also made allegations
of bribery and counterfeiting of school diplomas.
Taufik said that KPUD officers discovered that a team seeking
support for businessman Pontjo Sutowo had promised money and rice
to people who submitted copies of their ID cards. He said that
the people had demanded that KPUD meet the Pontjo team's
promises.
He also revealed that legislator Aberson Marle Sihaloho, from
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), had
failed to produce his high school diploma for KPUD officers.
Neither Pontjo nor Aberson could be reached for comment via
their cell phones or fixed line telephones at home.
For the first time, the residents of each province will
directly elect their DPD candidates in the April 5 legislative
election. Some 120 DPD members from the country's 30 provinces
will join with 550 members of the House of Representatives to
form the People's Consultative Assembly.
Taufik said that some, whose names had been submitted as
supporters of certain candidates, would report the candidates to
the city police for misusing their names. He declined to identify
the candidates who would be reported to the police.
A total of 575 people took DPD registration forms but only 104
people returned them or fulfilled KPUD requirements. Only 74
candidates met the requirements, but one withdrew.
Other noted figures taking part in the Jakarta DPD race
include former environment minister Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, former
student activist Hariman Siregar, rally driver Helmy Sungkar and
businesspeople Mooryati Soedibyo and Kemala Motik.
Several Betawi (native Jakartan) figures, such as chairman of
the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) Fadloli El Muhir, Muslim
preacher Soerjani Tohir and Biem T. Benyamin, son of the late
actor Benyamin Sueb, have also joined the race.