KPU to increase budget by Rp 40b

Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In accordance with its plan to hold the 2004 general election ahead of schedule, the General Elections Commission (KPU) will increase its budget by Rp 40 billion (US$4.5 million), with most of the money going to speed up voter registration.

Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin, chairman of the KPU, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday the additional money would be used to hire more people and procure new facilities to speed up the voter registration process.

"We plan to move each stage forward, meaning that we must add more personnel and computers in order to speed up the database entry for the voter registration process," Nazaruddin said.

The commission had allocated about Rp 390 billion of its budget for voter registration.

The KPU has also complained that demographic data issued by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) is inadequate for the registration of voters.

A total of 125 million people from Indonesia's population of 200 million were registered as eligible voters in the last elections in 1999.

Mulyana W. Kusumah, a commission member, said the KPU must begin registering voters manually in anticipation of the BPS failing to provide adequate data.

"We plan to field more officials who will visit each household to register voters, starting in April," he said.

KPU announced earlier it planned to hold the general elections in April 2004, two months ahead of schedule. This would give the commission the time to organize the presidential elections by June. Barring any unexpected obstacles, Indonesia will elect a president by October next year.

KPU estimates the upcoming general elections will cost the government some Rp 3.02 trillion, three times the cost of the 1999 polls.

The government has thus far agreed to disburse some Rp 2.3 trillion to the KPU, which will come from the state budget for the current fiscal year.

However, there is still skepticism about the government's ability to deliver this amount of money, particularly with the economic crisis continuing to drag on.

According to the newly endorsed electoral bill, general elections must be funded solely by the state budget.

Meanwhile, Nazaruddin said international organizations would again offer financial support for the KPU, as they did in 1999.

"Organizations such as USAID, AUSAID and JICA will again contribute to the elections with grants and loans channeled through the state budget," he said.