KPU to select, train 1,750 local members
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The General Elections Commission (KPU) is now bracing itself for a dramatically increased workload after the House of Representatives endorsed the elections bill.
The commission will now have to prioritize the appointment of members to its provincial, regency and municipality branch commissions.
KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti said on Thursday that the commission would appoint 1,750 members in 30 provinces and 410 regencies/municipalities, a process that would have to be completed by May.
He said the KPU would establish an independent team that would help governors, mayors and regents recruit branch commission members. There would be four members in each province and five in every regency or municipality.
An independent team was necessary to ensure that the regional commission members who were appointed were independent and so as to prevent local government intervention in the commission branches within their jurisdictions.
"The KPU will reject candidates for the local elections commissions proposed by governors, regents, mayors or the independent team if we find irregularities in the selection process," Ramlan said.
The commission is also preparing itself for the mammoth task of voter registration, which is set to commence on April 1 and continue until the end of March 2004. The registration drive, which will cost the KPU Rp 400 billion (US$43 million), will be carried out in collaboration with the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
Regarding freedom to campaign on the part of public servants, ranging from the president down to state enterprise executives, Ramlan said that certain facilities connected with state protocol for the president, vice president and cabinet ministers would be maintained.
"We cannot ignore the fact that security measures are part of state protocol in respect of these public servants. We may ban them from using state facilities such as cars and other vehicles, and funds, but we cannot leave them alone without security guards," Ramlan said.
The KPU would not demand that state officials who wanted to campaign for their parties take leave of absence from their posts.
"Let the people conclude whether the officials are neglecting their state duties while campaigning for their parties," he said.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who chairs the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Vice President Hamzah Haz, the chairman of the United Development Party, and many Cabinet ministers are likely to get involved in campaigning for their parties. The commission feared that the administration of state would be seriously disrupted if all these state officials took leaves of absence simultaneously.