Ballot boxes controversy deepens
Kurniawan Hari and A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
With the general election drawing ever nearer, the ballot box controversy has worsened as one of the company's appointed to produce and distribute the boxes threatened to stop work on the project.
An executive of PT Tjakrindo Mas visited the General Elections Commission (KPU) offices on Friday, demanding full payment of Rp 79 billion (US$9,2 million) for the first stage of the contract.
"We will not resume the production of the ballot boxes until the KPU pays for the first stage," PT Tjakrindo's marketing director Tirto Soeseno told reporters.
Tirto claimed that his company had delivered over 300,000 boxes in many areas in eastern Indonesia, but admitted that some of them had not reached their destinations.
Tjakrindo, which came second in the tender competition, was awarded a contract to produce 1.09 million, or one half, of the 2.19 million aluminum ballot boxes to be used in the April 5 general election after the tender winner PT Survindo Indah Prestasi proved to be unable to fully perform its earlier contract for the supply of ballot boxes.
On Jan 21, the KPU reduced Survindo share of the production after the company had produced 316,000 boxes, and gave a 10 percent share of the 2.19 million boxes to PT Almas, which came third in the tender.
According to the contract, the KPU is supposed to pay for the boxes in three stages.
"Given that the KPU has conducted verification, we deserve to be paid," Tirto said.
The KPU's logistics office chief R.M. Purba insisted that the KPU would only pay the companies after the KPU's provincial offices had received the boxes and reported this to Jakarta.
"We have the money and are ready to pay them. But who will be responsible for any damage to the boxes if we are not sure they have reached their destinations," Purba told reporters.
The KPU had hoped that the production of the ballot boxes would be completed on Feb. 28 with the delivery to the 550,000 polling stations being completed by March 5.
Despite fears of an delay in the election due to the ballot box fiasco, a group of legislators on Friday expressed optimism that the KPU would be able to hold the election on schedule.
The legislators suggested that the KPU regularly check on the production of ballot boxes and ballot papers, and the preparations for their distribution.
"The KPU must check what is happening every week. We have to take action if there is no progress achieved with the ballot boxes," said legislator Ferry Mursyidan Baldan of the Golkar Party after inspecting the production of ballot boxes at PT Subur Djaya Teguh, a subsidiary of PT Tjakrindo, in Bekasi.
House home affairs commission chairman Agustin Teras Narang added that Subur Djaya Teguh had performed well to date.
Teras of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), however, said that the KPU must improve its supervision over the company's work.
About 20 House members, as well as KPU member Chusnul Mar'iyah, participated in the inspection.
During the visit, the legislators followed the processes involved in the production of the ballot boxes -- from the cutting of the metal right through the packing of the boxes.
Of the more than 430,000 boxes to be produced by Subur Djaya. around 108,000 have been completed.
House member A. Chozin Chumaidy of the United Development Party (PPP) said that the legislators would also inspect the production of ballot boxes in Medan, North Sumatra and Surabaya, East Java.