Gus Dur approves members of General Elections Commission

Gus Dur approves members of General Elections Commission

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has endorsed the 11
names recommended by the House of Representatives Commission II
for home and legal affairs as members of the General Election
Committee (KPU), an official said on Monday.

The decision is stipulated in Presidential Decree No.
119/M/2001, which was signed last Monday.

"The new members will hopefully be inaugurated by the
President in a ceremony at the State Palace soon," KPU spokesman
Wartawan Masri told reporters.

Among the members are chairman of the Independent Election
Monitoring Committee (KIPP) Mulyana W. Kusumah, political
lecturer of Surabaya-based Airlangga University Ramlan Surbakti,
University of Indonesia (UI) sociologist Imam B. Prasodjo, and UI
political lecturers Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin, Valina Singka Subekti
and Chusnul Mar'iyah.

Other members are former chairman of the Indonesian Muslim
Student Association (HMI) Anas Urbaningrum, Catholic priest F.X.
Mudji Sutrisno, Jayapura-based Cendrawasih University lecturer
Daan Dimara, director of the Center for Public Policy Studies
(Puskap) Hamid Awaluddin and political communications expert from
Bandung-based Padjadjaran University Rusadi Kantaprawira.

All of the members underwent the fit and proper test before
legislators of Commission II from March 7 to March 9.

The Commission initially selected 21 candidates proposed by
the government.

One candidate, chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human
Rights Association (PBHI) Hendardi, withdrew his candidacy in
March due to a "lack of transparency in the selection process".
(hdn)