Four hundred sign up for KPUD

Four hundred sign up for KPUD

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As the candidate registration period for the Regional General
Elections Commission (KPUD) in Jakarta drew to a close on Monday,
more than 400 people had signed up for the possibility of
overseeing the elections in the city.

A five-person team appointed by Governor Sutiyoso will select
10 people from these 400 candidates and the General Elections
Commission (KPU) will winnow this number down to five, who will
then be given the responsibility of running the general election
in Jakarta.

The process of selecting the members of the Jakarta KPUD is
expected to be completed by late May.

The five-person team appointed by Sutiyoso comprises: Syafi'i
Maarif (lecturer), Arif Rahman Hakim (lecturer), Nursyiah Motik
(doctor), Gemala Rabiah Hatta (lecturer) and Thamrin Ekadjati
(city official).

The secretary of the Jakarta KPUD, Ismet Hasan, said the large
number of candidates showed that the public misunderstood the
requirements for membership on the commission.

He said the public seemed to regard becoming a members of the
KPUD as just another job opportunity.

"The candidates apparently liken the selection process to that
for an ordinary job," he told The Jakarta Post.

He was quick to add that this misapprehension reflected a
general lack of understanding about the general election process.

"In fact, membership on the KPUD is only for those who have
the intellectual capacity and possess knowledge of political
issues, because they will play an important role in building a
good relationship between local lawmakers and the city
administration," he said.

Hasan also said the KPUD candidates should not be members of
any political party.

Many of the candidates did not come close to meeting the
requirements set by the KPU, Yayat, a staff member at the Jakarta
KPUD secretariat, told the Post.

"As far as I am concerned, many of those who have applied were
just unemployed and in need of a job," he said.

One candidate, who wished to remain anonymous, said he applied
because of the generous stipend provided by the KPU.

"I heard that the salary for a member of a local elections
commission during the 1999 general election was about Rp 15
million (US$1,600). I assume that the amount will be about the
same for the upcoming elections," he said.

Another applicant, who also wished to remain anonymous, said
he was in fact a member of a recently established political
party.

"But I had to conceal that fact because my membership in the
party would bar me from the commission," he said.

He said one of the reasons he was applying for a position with
KPUD was that he had experience from past general elections.

Among the others queuing up for application forms were two
urban activists, Azas Tigor Nainggolan from the Jakarta Citizens
Forum and Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto of the Jakarta Legal Aid
Institute.