Civil society group sues KPU for perceived election failures
Urip Hudiono, Jakarta
A civil society group calling itself the People's Movement for a New Indonesia (GRIB) filed a civil suit on Monday with the Central Jakarta District Court against the General Elections Committee (KPU) for its perceived failure to stage an election that fulfilled the public's hope for better government.
The group, comprising 16 individuals claiming to represent some 34 million citizens, requested the court to disband the KPU and overturn the results of the April 5 legislative election.
"We are also requesting that the upcoming presidential election, scheduled to take place on July 5, be postponed until the court issues a verdict in our case," said Sri Bintang Pamungkas, one of the plaintiffs.
Sri Bintang, who is a former member of the House of Representatives from the United Development Party (PPP) and former chairman of the Indonesian United Democratic Party (PUDI), also said that the GRIB would persevere with its suit until the KPU allowed independent candidates to join the presidential race.
In its petition to the court, the GRIB explained that the Indonesian people had long wanted to be allowed to freely nominate and directly elect their preferred candidates -- including independent ones -- in the 2004 General Elections in the hope of getting a better government that truly represented the people.
However, this aspiration has been dashed as the electoral process was still based on laws and regulations that restricted and confined the people's voting rights to political parties.
Furthermore, the GRIB had also said that the recent legislative election had been marred by a lack of professionalism and unsatisfactory performance on the part of the KPU, corruption and bribery.
The GRIB, on behalf of the public, was therefore demanding that the KPU be held accountable.
Indonesia will hold its first direct presidential election on July 5, following the legislative election for members of the House of Representatives, the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and two tiers of local government that were held on April 5.