Companies agree to print ballot papers
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Friday that it had sealed a deal with 18 companies for 660 million ballot papers at Rp 275 per ballot paper as set by the commission.
KPU member Mulyana W. Kusuma said seven companies would need to start printing 324 million ballot papers immediately for the election of members to the House of Representatives and Regional Representatives Council.
PT Temprina Media Grafika, PT Pabelan Cerdas Nusantara, state- owned Printing Company (PNRI), CV Aneka Ilmu, PT Pundimas Putra Indojaya, PT Madju Medan Cipta and PT Balai Pustaka must deliver the ballot papers to all regencies and mayoralties by March 15.
The printing schedule for the provincial and regental/mayoral legislative election has not yet been set, Mulyana said.
Pundi Mas director Untung Sastrawijaya admitted he remained in the dark about its responsibility in the printing order.
"If we receive the film and the order to print tomorrow, we can begin printing on Sunday," he said.
He said Pundi Mas could print 20,000 ballot papers per hour with a maximum work day of 20 hours.
Temprina spokesman Mufti Mubarok said the company had received an order for 43 million papers. The PNRI has a print order of 47 million papers, Pabean 26 million and Aneka Ilmu 23 million. The two remaining companies are each to print less than 5 percent of the ballot papers required.
Earlier in the day, the KPU announced that three local ink companies, Print Color, Cipta Tora Utama and Mega Buana International, would produce 84,000 bottles of indelible ink, each containing 30 millimeters.
"The locally made ink will be used in several regencies in Aceh, Bangka Belitung, the Riau Islands, Bali, Central Kalimantan, Southeast Sulawesi, Gorontalo, North Maluku and West Irian Jaya," said KPU member Rusadi Kantaprawira, chairman of the ink tender committee.
He said the other 1.14 million bottles of indelible ink would be imported from India or Singapore by KPU-sanctioned importers PT Fulcomas Jaya, PT Lina Permai, PT Mustika Indra Mas and PT Wahgo International.
Fulcomas will import 285,739 bottles at Rp 8.3 billion, which will be distributed to Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Banten, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Southeast Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Bengkulu and Lampung.
Lina Permai will import 282,485 bottles at Rp 8.32 billion for use in West Java, West Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Maluku, West Sumatra and Riau.
Mustika will import 287,316 bottles at Rp 8.34 billion for use in Central Java, South Sulawesi, Jambi and Papua.
Wahgo will import 285,102 bottles at Rp 8.27 billion, destined for East Java, West Nusa Tenggara and North Sumatra.