KPU told to consider quick ink re-tender
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A monopoly watchdog has suggested that the General Elections Commission (KPU) consider repeating the ink tender due to the dubious financial capability of the final eight bidders.
Monopoly Watch chairman Samuel Nitisaputra said on Saturday the KPU should keep the option for re-tendering wide open to avoid irregularities in the Rp 150 billion (US$17.7 million) tender.
"But KPU has to do it as quickly as possible because election day is drawing near," he said.
He was commenting on the tax reports of the ink tender participants, which mostly recorded dubious sales and taxes.
Samuel said most of the companies might have been established only in order to participate in the tender.
He claimed to have received information that the ink, most of which would be imported, could also be produced locally at a cheaper price, albeit of a lower quality.
The eight companies edged out 22 others in the pre- qualification of the ink tender. They are PT Fulcomas Jaya, PT Lina Permai Sakti, PT Multi Mega Service, PT Mustika Indramas, PT Senorotan Perkasa, PT Tricipta Adimandiri, PT Wahgo International, and PT Yana Prima Hasta Persada.
The companies have to submit their quotations on Monday with four possible winners to be announced on the same day, but according to a KPU official in charge of the tender, most of them had requested a delay in submitting the quotation.
Those companies claimed they had difficulty in obtaining the required documents such as a bank guarantee and bank account details.
The April 5 legislative election and the July 5 presidential election will require over 2.2 million bottles of ink for the 565,600 polling stations.
The probable run-off scheduled for Sept. 20 would need another 1.1 million bottles.
KPU expects the winning company to import the ink from India, France or England to ensure that the ink would not wash off for three to seven days when voters dip their fingers into the ink as a sign that they have cast their ballot.
In the 1999 election, some of the ink, which was produced locally, washed off easily.
Earlier, KPU faced problems in the 2.19 million ballot box tender, in which the commission selected PT Survindo Indah Prestasi as the tender winner.
But due to Survindo's lack of financial resources, the firm failed to meet its obligation, thus forcing KPU to split 60 percent of the 2.19 million ballot boxes with the second and the third ranking companies in the tender. Both had earlier failed to pass the minimum score in the tender.
Separately, Agustin Teras Narang, chairman of the House of Representatives Commission II for legal and home affairs said any tender decision should rest with the KPU.
"We can only urge the KPU to uphold the rules of the game in holding tenders," he said.
Teras Narang expressed hope that the ink tender would run smoothly so that the elections could run according to schedule.