House to set up team to monitor KPU action

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives Commission II agreed on Monday to set up a monitoring team to supervise the performance of the General Elections Commission (KPU), including the ongoing procurement tenders.

The establishment of the monitoring team was decided during a hearing between the commission and KPU members amid public calls for the KPU to be transparent in tender processes.

"We demand the KPU conduct tenders transparently, based on regulations, without collusion, corruption and nepotism. And to make it work, the commission will carry out intensive supervision on election preparations (including the tenders)," Commission II deputy chairman Abdul Rachman Gaffar of the Military/Police Faction said.

During the hearing, a number of legislators, including Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa of the Golkar Party, Haryanto Taslam of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Sayuti Rahawarin of the Ummat Sovereignty Faction and Tjetje Hidayat Padmadinata of the Indonesian National Unity Faction called on the KPU to set up a working committee to probe any irregularity allegations.

The KPU has come under fire due to alleged non-transparent tender processes, particularly the tender of a Rp 324 billion ballot boxes procurement.

It has allotted more than Rp 1 trillion for tenders on the provision and procurement of information technology infrastructure, ballot boxes, voter registration cards and ballot papers.

Two weeks ago, the KPU announced Survindo Consortium the winner of the tender for ballot boxes for next year's elections, but a number of losing competitors claimed the KPU did not carry out field checks at all factory networks of the winning consortium.

They also alleged that Survindo was not an aluminum product company as required, but a printing and publishing firm.

Survindo says the allegation are baseless and they met all KPU requirements as an office and warehouse goods provider.

KPU said there was nothing wrong with the tender process. However, it was forced to carry out the field checks following the allegations.

KPU member Daan Dimara said it had finished its field checks and concluded all the factories qualified for providing aluminum ballot boxes.

The KPU is likely to announce Survindo as the definitive winner of the tender.

Agun Gunandjar said after the hearing that he was disappointed with the commission's decision to set up a monitoring team instead of a working committee.

According to him, the House monitoring team would be too weak to supervise the performance of the KPU.

But Panda Nababan of PDI Perjuangan said the commission should put its confidence and respect in the KPU members with their credibility and integrity.

Besides the monitoring team issue, the commission also said that it would finish the establishment of 24 new regencies/municipalities across the country on Nov. 20.

Abdul Rahman called on the KPU to rearrange the electoral districts map in those new areas and to allow them to set up legislative bodies after the 2004 elections.