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)