House retains current KPU members

House retains current KPU members

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives decided to retain the current
members of the General Elections Commission (KPU) until their
tenure expires in March next year.

The decision was made by House of Representatives Commission
II on local administration on Tuesday despite mounting demands
for their dismissal amid an ongoing investigation into alleged
corruption at the KPU.

House Commission II chairman Ferry Mursyidan Baldan said that
the decision to allow the remaining active KPU members, who began
their tenure in 2001, to serve until their five-year term expired
was the best choice.

"They still have one important unfinished task, that is to
finalize a report on the implementation of last year's general
elections, which is crucial to improve the implementation of the
next one in 2009," he said.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is currently
investigating alleged corruption at the KPU in the purchase of
election materials during last year's general elections.

The KPU initially had 11 members. But two members, Imam
Prasodjo and Mudji Sutrisno, resigned in 2003 due to dual
positions, while Hamid Awaluddin was named minister of justice
and human rights last year in the current administration.

Mulyana W. Kusumah and KPU chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin were
recently arrested by the KPK for their alleged role in the
kickbacks, while Anas Urbaningrum resigned recently after being
elected as an executive in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's
Democrat Party.

The five remaining active KPU members are Ramlan Surbakti,
Chusnul Mar'iyah, Valina Singka Subekti, Rusadi Kantaprawira and
Daan Dimara.

The House leadership previously gave Ferry's commission three
options -- to retain the remaining five active members, to
replace the other six members before the current tenure expires,
or to select completely new members.

Ferry said his commission would start working to partially
revise Law No. 12/2003 on general elections, particularly on
articles about the KPU to establish a better-prepared commission.

"Of course, it's also to avoid the mistakes and troubles that
happened to the current KPU," he said, referring to the graft
probe launched by the KPK.

Among the items that may be revised was the membership of the
commission and its working procedures, said Ferry.

"We have to consider whether having 11 members is adequate, or
whether we need to include people who have technical expertise
rather than just academics.

We also need to look into the KPU's procedures in the
provision of election materials and the relationship between the
members and the secretary-general," he explained.

In the meantime, Ferry said the government could start
collecting new names for future KPU members to be submitted to
the House for approval.

"If the government submits the names, let's say, by October or
November, we could start screening them and have them in place as
the new KPU members in March just as the current members finish
their term," he said.

The General Election Law stipulates that the President selects
the candidates for the KPU, who later have to be approved by the
House.