C. Java Panwaslu members sworn in

SEMARANG, Central Java: One hundred and seventy-five members of the Central Java Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) were officially installed in the provincial capital of Semarang on Wednesday.

They represent 35 regencies and cities in the province, with each appointed five members.

The sworn-in Panwaslu members include scholars and lecturers, journalists, prosecutors, police officers and community leaders.

Provincial Panwaslu chairman Hidayat Nur Sardini said in a speech at a ceremony to inaugurate the committee members that their job of supervising the 2004 elections would be tough.

"In 1999, Central Java recorded at least 195 electoral violations, of which less than 20 percent were settled," he said.

Most of the cases remained unresolved by police and prosecutors, Hidayat said.

He said he hoped that with the involvement of media and university representatives and community figures, the committee would perform better than during the 1999 elections.--JP