Golkar challenges KPU's decision on campaigning

Golkar challenges KPU's decision on campaigning

JAKARTA (JP): The Golkar Party's Jakarta chapter questioned on
Thursday the authority of the General Elections Commission (KPU)
to prohibit ministers from campaigning.

The chapter's chairman, Tadjus Sobirin, said the commission's
ruling had exceeded the authority of President B.J. Habibie who
installed the commission members.

"President Habibie himself has allowed Cabinet ministers (not
including five ministers and the attorney general) to campaign.
If we don't listen to the President, who do we listen to?"

The KPU voted on Wednesday in favor of banning government
officials, including Cabinet ministers from campaigning for
parties contesting the June 7 general election.

Tadjus said if the practice was tolerated, he feared the KPU
could become a "private house of representatives" with powers to
even cancel the June general election.

He said a decision whether to forbid ministers from
campaigning should be decided by each political party "as it
deals with an internal problem".

KPU members should recognize the limitation of their
authority, as they were only in charge of regulating campaign
technical matters.

Golkar's deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman said on Wednesday
the party would have to review its political stance toward
Cabinet if the President showed inconsistency by accepting the
KPU decision.

Habibie has banned five of 36 Cabinet ministers and the
attorney general from campaigning.

The KPU ruling will deal a major blow to Golkar and the United
Development Party (PPP) because many of their leaders and members
hold positions in the Cabinet or state institutions.

In a related development, assistant to the city secretary on
public administration affairs Tursandi Alwi, told The Jakarta
Post that the city's Provincial Elections Committee (PPI I) would
be installed on Saturday.

Tursandi said the committee would, among other things,
determine whether city residents who did not hold identification
cards were eligible to vote.

On Wednesday, chairman of the National Elections Committee
(PPI) Jacob Tobing, said the committee had simplified the
requirement for voter registration. People without identification
cards would be allowed to show citizenship letters from their
neighborhood chiefs, he said. (ind)