Final returns expected in one more week

Final returns expected in one more week

JAKARTA (JP): Townspeople eager to know the final returns will
be kept in suspense until June 17.

Chief of the Jakarta Provincial Elections Committee Djafar
Badjeber said on Wednesday the announcement date had been set by
the General Elections Commission (KPU).

Djafar acknowledged the flow of returns to the KPU was
irritatingly slow because of the long line of bureaucratic
procedures involved.

Before reaching provincial elections committees, data should
first be verified by mayoralty elections committees, district
poll committees and subdistrict poll committees.

"The dates for each phase have been set by the KPU. For
example, data validation at district elections committees will be
on June 10 and validation at the district level will be on June
14," Djafar said.

With all the provinces having the same schedule set by the
KPU, he said, it is amazing that some provinces have transmitted
data on their returns so soon.

Besides, things can be complicated because the collected data
has to be cross-checked at every level.

"Therefore it should be understood that reporting of ballot
counting results takes a long time," he said.

Jakarta Provincial Elections Committee officials made news on
Tuesday when they questioned the validity of KPU's data. The
committee said the KPU announced the data without the endorsement
of subdistrict elections committees.

According to initial procedures set by the KPU, results of
ballot counting from polling places would be released for further
processing only after being endorsed by subdistrict elections
committees.

The National Mandate Party (PAN) representative at KPU,
Hasballah M. Saad, also expressed surprise at the confusing data
collection. He suspected illegal data entry into the KPU computer
system.

"We will only rely on data which have been verified by all
polling committees," he told The Jakarta Post by phone.

Hasballah said the case showed that the security system of
KPU's computerized ballot counting system had weaknesses.

"We will discuss the problem at Thursday's plenary meeting,"
he said.

He lamented that there were many sources publicizing different
data which confused the public.

In a related development, Djafar said district elections
committees were asked on Thursday to re-count the votes they had
sent the higher-level committee because there were some
inconsistencies. (ind)