Fair selection of KPU candidates called for

Fair selection of KPU candidates called for

JAKARTA (JP): An alliance of 12 nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) called on the House of Representatives on Wednesday to
maintain transparency and fairness in selecting candidates for
the next General Elections Committee (KPU).

"The House should seek input from numerous independent
societal groups before selecting the 22 candidates," Smita
Notosusanto, a spokesman for the NGOs, said, referring to the 22
candidates proposed by the government.

She said the House should first set the criteria before
carrying out with the fit and proper tests.

"The House should have a moral obligation to drop candidates
who do not meet the criteria and cannot pass the fit and proper
test," she said.

The twelve NGOs, including the Center for Electoral Reform
(Cetro), the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), Solidarity for
Women, Environmental Forum (Walhi) and the Indonesian Election
Supervisory Committee (KIPP), said they were concerned with the
government's lack of transparency in selecting the 60 names
proposed by numerous social and political organizations.

They said the lack of transparency in the selection by the
Ministry of Home Affairs and Regional Autonomy had lessened
public support for the candidates.

Leopold Sudaryono of KIPP said the House should only endorse
candidates who are independent, physically and mentally healthy,
and strongly committed to democracy and social justice.

"Candidates should never have been involved in human rights
abuses or any other crimes.

"They are not officials of any political party in the past
five years and are ready to have their wealth audited," he said.

Teten Masduki, ICW coordinator, said the commission's next
composition would certainly influence the quality of general
elections in the future and therefore the quality of democracy in
the future.

"Last year's controversial general election which was marked
by vote rigging and widespread procedural violations by election
participants must be a good lesson for all of us (nation)," he
said

Leopold said the NGOs were conducting their own evaluation of
the 22 candidates, most of whom had failed to meet the criteria
established by the NGOs.

"If the House adopts our criteria, most candidates will be
dropped," he said, explaining that the results of the NGOs'
candidate evaluations would be announced to the public days
before the fit-and-proper test, which is scheduled for Oct. 23.

Among the 22 candidates proposed by the government were Anas
Urbaningrum, former chairman of the Indonesian Islamic Student
Association (HMI), KIPP chairman Mulyana W. Kusumah, Catholic
priest and intellectual, Mudji Sutrisno, chairman of the
Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI)
Hendardi, and chairman of the Indonesian Youth Committee (KNPI)
Adhyaksa.

Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, chairman of House Commission II on
Home and Legal Affairs, which has been assigned to handle the
selection, said his commission might not conduct a fit-and-proper
test, but hold a dialog with the candidates to ensure their
commitment to the commission's vision and mission.

"The candidates's track record should not be a subject of
questioning because they are from independent organizations," he
said.

He added that the candidates must have met the criteria set by
the NGOs. (rms)