KPU must proceed or risk delayed 2004 election
KPU must proceed or risk delayed 2004 election
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Despite the absence of the required electoral bills, the General
Elections Commission (KPU) is going ahead with its preparations
for the 2004 general election. Otherwise, the elections might be
delayed.
The work currently being done by KPU includes preparations for
the establishment of KPU offices in 30 provinces and hundreds of
regencies.
KPU is also preparing for a census and registration of
eligible voters, in cooperation with the Ministry of Home Affairs
and the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).
Such preparations, however, run the risk of being redundant or
unnecessary if general election bills, currently being
deliberated by the House, rule differently.
Nevertheless, according to KPU member Mulyana W. Kusumah, the
commission had no option but to do that.
"Although the bill has yet to be passed, we have already
established KPU secretariats in all provinces. Otherwise, the
general election would be delayed," said Mulyana.
KPU is also establishing shadow KPU secretariats in regencies
and mayoralties in Java, and will soon move to outside Java.
Once the legal basis has been determined, these shadow KPU
secretariats will be ready to operate.
Establishment of the KPU regional secretariats has been made
easier by the issuance of an enabling presidential instruction to
governors, regents and mayors.
Another important task being pursued by KPU is registration of
voters, which will begin in March.
Mulyana explained that the registration of voters would
produce not only a list of eligible voters, but also a database
on them, which could be updated for future elections.
The registration process will cost KPU Rp 32 billion.
According to KPU deputy secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo,
the registration would be carried out door-to-door by around
450,000 people, under BPS coordination.
These people are currently being trained, and would be
deployed to the field during March.
Voter registration, however, is unlikely to be in conflict
with the election bill, currently being debated at the House of
Representatives.
The House has promised to approve the bill by the end of this
month. However, some analysts and also KPU members doubt the
House promise as there are still some contentious issues in the
bill.
Another KPU member, Mudji Soetrisno, accused legislators of
not being serious in deliberating the election bill, supposed to
have been completed late last year.
Mudji accused some political parties of deliberately delaying
approval of the general election bills so that the nation would
be forced to use the previous election law or postpone the
election altogether.
Nevertheless, deputy chairman of the House special committee
on the general elections bill Ferry Mursyidan Baldan of the
Golkar Party denied the allegation.
He expressed his optimism that the bill would be approved by
the end of this month, as scheduled.
Once the House has passed the election bill, KPU would have
two laws at its disposal, including the political party law. KPU
would then need two more laws on presidential elections and
structure of the legislature.
The latter is currently already with the House, but its
deliberation has not been scheduled yet, while the former is
still with the government.
Surprisingly, despite approval of the political party law,
Mulyana said KPU could not yet start its work in selecting which
of more than 200 political parties would be eligible to contest
the 2004 election.
Mulyana contended that KPU could not make any decisions on
political parties before they were verified by the Ministry of
Justice and Human Rights.
The KPU aims to hold the general election in June 2004, and
the first round of presidential and vice presidential elections
in August, with the second round -- if required -- in September.
Consequently, the country would have a new legislature and
president in October 2004.
Main KPU tasks prior to 2004 general election
1. Establishment of regional KPU secretariats (under way)
2. Voter registration and data collection (March to November,
2003)
3. Establishment of KPU regional representatives (March to May,
2003)
4. Verification of political parties contesting elections (until
December 2003)
5. Registration of candidates for the House of Representatives
(DPR), Regional Representatives Councils (DPDs) and Regional
Legislative Councils (DPRDs) (October 2003 to January 2004)
6. Determination of the final lists for DPR, DPD and DPRD (March
to May 2004).
7. Election campaigns
8. General election to elect legislative members (June 2004)
9. Vote counting (July 2004)
10. Establishment of the DPR, DPD and DPRD
11. Presidential election campaign
12. First round of presidential election (August 2004)
13. Second round of presidential election (September 2004).