Civil servants flout rules to join campaign teams
Hasrul, Kendari
The Southeast Sulawesi General Elections Commission (KPUD) has rejected several campaign teams proposed to back presidential candidates as they include civil servants, such as the deputy mayor of Kendari and other senior officials.
"Only three teams submitted lists of their members. We returned them because the proposed names were not in accordance with existing conditions," KPUD chairman Kaimuddin Haris said on Thursday.
The campaign teams in question would support candidates Megawati Soekarnoputri and Hasyim Muzadi, Wiranto and Solahuddin Wahid, and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla.
Under Decree No. 35/2004 issued by the General Elections Commission (KPU) and Circular No. SE/04/M.PAN/03/2004, by the administrative reforms minister, civil servants are banned from involvement in presidential campaigning.
"So, the ban on the involvement of civil servants, including police and military officers, has clearly been regulated. But, almost all the presidential campaign teams defiantly included their names," Kaimuddin said in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi.
The campaign team for the Wiranto-Solahuddin pair included deputy mayor of Kendari Andi Muzakkir Mustafa and other local senior officials.
Likewise, other civil servants in Kendari were also nominated for campaign teams for Susilo and Kalla, and Megawati and Hasyim.
Among the names put forward were Ayub Padangarang, Kanna, Idrus Mufty and Aminah Razak Porosi -- all lecturers of the law faculty of Haluoleo University.
Zainal Abidin, spokesman for Susilo's Kendari campaign team, admitted several civil servants were included as they had voluntarily registered, despite the rules.
However, Zainal said the ban on civil servants' involvement should be regulated in more detail.
He said his team had not been informed by the KPUD of the outcome of its proposal.
Similarly, Wiranto's Kendari campaign team spokesman Fikri Yunus said his side had not been officially notified that the KPUD had rejected its proposed team.
Fikri and Zainal said they would restructure their teams to comply with the regulations.