KPU axes more firms for missing ballot quota

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With polling day on April 5 being only two weeks away, more companies have been identified as having failed to print their ballot paper allotments on schedule.

General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin said on Monday the commission had taken back 127 film templates from Madju Medan Cipta, and others from the Manado- based Metro Post in North Sulawesi and the State Printing Company (PNRI) on Sunday, due to the firms' failures to print sufficient ballot papers for regental and municipal legislative council elections.

He added that the KPU had appointed Metro Pos, a separate firm in Jakarta and Temprina to replace these companies.

"We are now working very hard to ensure the (legislative) elections still go ahead on April 5. So far, there is no need to talk about election delays in certain areas," Nazaruddin told a press conference.

He said that 99.39 percent of the ballot papers for the House of Representatives election had been printed, with the figure being 100 percent in most areas. In Jakarta and West Java, 99 percent of the ballot papers had been printed, while the figure was 88 percent in Southeast Sulawesi.

A total of 92.94 percent of the ballot papers for the Regional Representatives Council had been printed, while the figure for provincial legislative councils was 88 percent and 75 percent for regental/municipal councils, he added.

Ballots for regental/municipal councils in Aceh had yet to be printed, as had those for Bengkulu and Bangka Belitung.

Meanwhile, only 8 percent of the ballot papers for regental/municipal councils in West Sumatra had been printed, while the figure in Jambi was 24.81 percent, 45 percent in Lampung, 58 percent in the Riau Islands, 80 percent in West Java, 51 percent in Central Java, 66 percent in Yogyakarta, 87 percent in Banten, 53 percent in Bali, 56 percent in West Nusa Tenggara, 79 percent in South Sulawesi, and 20 percent in Southeast Sulawesi.

Nazaruddin admitted, however, that he had yet to receive data on the distribution of ballot papers. He also refused to say when the ballot papers would reach the polling stations. Under Law No 12/2003, ballot papers must reach the village election committees and overseas election committees 10 days before polling day.

Separately, KPU deputy secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo said that another printing company in South Sulawesi had also returned its templates on Monday.

He said that some 20 percent of the ballot papers for the regental/municipal elections might not reach polling stations in the area on April 4. As a consequence, some polling stations could be forced to open their doors after April 5.