'KPU lacks transparency'
'KPU lacks transparency'
Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Wednesday 150
members of all 30 provincial General Elections Commissions
(KPUDs), including the Jakarta KPUD, after the commission
conducted a suitability test on 300 candidates nationwide, which
ended last week.
However, an analyst said the KPU has failed to be accountable
in the selection of members of the KPUDs.
Smita Notosusanto from the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro)
said that the KPU had failed to be transparent during the process
to select people for the KPUD jobs nationwide.
She said the KPU's decision to hold the selection process,
without allowing public monitoring, should be questioned.
"What exactly are the qualifications for candidates to be
selected as members of the KPUDs? The KPU never explained this to
us," she queried.
The KPU had earlier revealed that members of the KPUDs were
chosen based on their general and technical knowledge of the
general election mechanism, but failed to be more specific.
Smita cited an example of the fit and proper test to select
members of the KPUDs in several provinces, including Jakarta,
where candidates were asked different questions.
"Every question asked was different from one candidate to
another. One cannot set a specific measure to determine which
candidate is better than the others with different questions,"
she added.
She also said it was ironic that the KPU had earlier attempted
to be transparent by making the names of the candidates for the
KPUDs available for public scrutiny, but later decided to hold a
closed plenary meeting to select members.
"It was certainly in contradiction with their initial
philosophy," she said.
The KPU held closed plenary meetings on Monday and Tuesday to
select five members for each of the nation's 30 provincial KPUDs.
Although the meetings were restricted to KPU members, one
member revealed that the selection process was conducted through
voting.
The KPU plans to install the members of the provincial KPUDs
by May 23 and regental KPUDs by June 13.
The KPUDs are the KPU's branches tasked with organizing the
upcoming general election at the provincial level. The provincial
KPUDs' duty is mainly to establish KPUDs at the regency and
municipal level.
The Jakarta KPUD will have to establish KPUDs in the
province's five municipalities and one regency, the Kepulauan
Seribu or the Thousand Islands, north of Jakarta.
The nation's first ever direct presidential election will be
held next year. The legislative election will fall on April 5 and
will soon be followed by the presidential election to be held
between June and August.
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Members of the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD)
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Names Background
1. A. Riza Patria Indonesian National Youth
Committee (KNPI)
2. Juri Ardianto Independent Election
Monitoring Committee (KIPP)
3. M. Taufik Jakarta Research Center (PPEJ)
4. Muflizar Public figure
5. Hamdan Rasyid Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI)
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Source: The KPU