KPU must be independent, professional: Candidates
JAKARTA (JP): The integrity of the 2004 general election will depend much on the Indonesian Election Commission (KPU)'s independence and its members' professionalism, KPU candidates said on Wednesday.
Chusnul Mar'iyah, a candidate from the University of Indonesia's (UI) School of Social and Political Science, said members of the election commission must be able to professionally organize the next elections and be immune to pressure from political parties.
"The election commission must be able to work independently and professionally to help make the next general election free and fair," she said before the House of Representatives' Commission II for home and legal affairs during a fit-and-proper test session.
She said KPU's independence could be assessed by its election regulations and how it dealt with political parties that violated election laws and codes of conduct.
"KPU must have the courage to take stern action against parties that violate the election rules during the campaign period or on the election day," she said, adding that the House, which was currently reviewing laws on elections and political parties, should impose stern penalties on parties involved in money politics.
Ari Pradanawati, a KPU candidate from the Semarang-based Diponegoro University in Central Java, said the next general election must be well-organized as it would determine the quality of the future legislative body and government.
"Besides KPU's independence and professionalism, the next elections should use the district system in selecting suitable candidates to sit in the House of Representatives and evaluating the present government's performance," she said.
Ari, who is also a former member of the disbanded Central Java provincial election committee (PPD), said the proportional system currently used in elections could be easily manipulated by political parties.
"That's why many have questioned whether the present legislators really represent the people as the House has paid less attention to the problems being faced by the people," she said.
She said the next elections would be an opportunity for the people to evaluate the performance of the current government and legislative body.
She said the people should not vote for parties whose legislators had performed poorly in the House.
Adhyaksa Dault, a KPU candidate nominated by the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI), concurred, saying independent election commission members were needed because the commission would play a critical role in determining the future of democracy in the country.
He proposed the establishment of a supervisory committee to oversee election candidates.
"The supervisory committee can advice KPU on parties which have violated the election laws and codes of conduct," he said.
The House Commission II will select 11 of 21 candidates proposed by the government.
Meanwhile, the coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) criticized Commission II for its lack of transparency in selecting KPU members.
Hadar N. Gumay, coordinator of the NGO coalition, said the House had never publicly disclosed the candidates for the public to participate in the selection.
"The House has received about 100 letters from the public but it has declined to divulge their contents. Besides, the public do not know the criteria used in the selection," he said.
Other candidates who will undergo the fit-and-proper test, which will be completed by Friday, are former chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Student Association (HMI) Anas Urbaningrum, chairman of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) Mulyana W. Kusumah, UI's political lecturers Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin and Valina Singka, Surabaya-based Airlangga University's political lecturers Daniel Sparringa and Ramlan Surbakti, UI's sociologist Imam B. Prasodjo, Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat and Catholic priest Mudji Sutrisno. (rms)