KPU members off on more trips abroad
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
General Elections Commission (KPU) members and officials have embarked on a second round of trips across the world, claiming these are necessary to disseminate information on the elections to some two million Indonesian voters overseas.
KPU secretary-general Safder Yusacc said on Tuesday that this time around the overseas visits were aimed at training Indonesian election committee officials abroad.
"We are traveling to train and inform officials about the new procedures for this year's elections. We are not just going on jaunts," Yusacc insisted.
He added that it was impossible to train the officials, based in over 100 countries, in Jakarta as the cost would be prohibitive.
The latest overseas trips will cost the KPU over Rp 1 billion (US$117,600), which has been taken from the Rp 22 billion allocated for election preparations abroad.
KPU members Chusnul Mar'iyah and Valina Singka Subekti were in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok from Jan. 3 to Jan. 5.
Another member, Rusadi Kantaprawira, left for Mexico on Jan. 4, while KPU chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin is scheduled to depart on Wednesday for a week-long trip that will take him to a number of European countries, including Spain and the Czech Republic.
KPU member Mulyana W. Kusumah, who is supposed to accompany Nazaruddin, reportedly left hospital on Tuesday after being treated for dengue fever and was uncertain about whether he would be able to travel.
Mulyana is also scheduled to fly to Tokyo after his visit to Europe.
KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti will leave for North America on Jan. 14, and KPU member Daan Dimara will visit India, but his schedule has not yet been confirmed.
Another KPU member, Hamid Awaluddin, will travel to the Middle East on Jan. 21 for a two-day visit there.
There are more than 143 million eligible voters at home, while only about two million Indonesians are expected to register as overseas voters.
Overseas voters will only elect five members of the House of Representatives.
The KPU has been criticized for its lackluster performance in promoting the elections at home.
The general election is scheduled for April 5, 2004, and the presidential election for July 5, with the run-off, if this proves to be necessary, on Sept. 20.
Late last year, six of the nine KPU members went overseas despite a mountain of outstanding work at home, including the screening of political parties, determining seat allocations and the mapping of electoral districts.