House Commission selects eleven new KPU members

House Commission selects eleven new KPU members

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives Commission II for
home and legal affairs selected 11 members on Friday for the new
General Election Committee (KPU) who are to be the organizers and
adjudicators of the 2004 general election.

The eleven passed a screening conducted over three consecutive
days by the House Commission.

"Our commission has completed its task to select 11 out of 22
candidates proposed by the government, and the 11 who passed the
test will be brought to a plenary session to gain the House's
full endorsement," House Commission Chairman Amin Aryoso said.

Among the 11 are Mulyana W. Kusumah, secretary general of the
Indonesian Election Supervisory Committee, who actively
supervised the 1997 and 1999 elections.

Another is Ramlan Surbakti, a political lecturer at Airlangga
University in Surabaya, East Java. He contributed to the drafting
of political laws in 1998.

Also chosen was Anas Urbaningrum, former chairman of the
Indonesian Muslim Students Association (HMI). He was also a
member of Team-11 who selected the political parties that
contended the last elections.

Rounding the list are Dan Dimara, Rusadi Kantaprawira, Imam B.
Prasodjo, Nazaruddin Syamsuddin, Chusnul Mar'iyah, F.X. Mudji
Sutrisno, Hamid Awaluddin and Valina Sinka Subekti.

They will replace the previous 48 member committee who were
mostly representatives of the 48 political parties which
contended the last elections.

The previous commission was dominated by party representatives
and was much criticized because of its partiality during the
elections, especially its rejection to endorse the elections'
results.

Separately Commission II Deputy Chairman Hamdan Zoelva said
general guidelines had been established in appraising the
performance and capability of each candidate.

"We have decided that they (the candidates) should meet four
requirements: they must show integrity, commitment for democracy,
an understanding of KPU's management and politics," Hamdan said.

Two of the original 22 candidates submitted by the government
for the KPU resigned their candidacies earlier.

Legal Aid and Human Rights Association chairman Hendardi and
former 1966 student activist Rahman Tolleng withdrew before
undergoing a screening.

Hendardi had reportedly resigned because he objected to the
screening process which he regarded as lacking in transparency,
while Rahman had, from the beginning, said he was unwilling to
sit in the KPU.(rms/dja)