KPU told to rehire KPPS members

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta

Many members of Polling Station Working Committees (KPPS) intimidated and coerced voters to pick for certain candidates in the country's first ever direct presidential election on July 5, a non-governmental organization says.

Consequently, the Society Network for Election Monitoring (JAMPPI) urged the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Sunday to recruit and train new KPPS members for the runoff election on Sept. 20.

"The intimidation was both physical and non-physical. It was carried out by KPPS members who happened to be local figures," JAMPPI coordinator Wahidah Suaib told a press conference here on Sunday.

According to JAMPPI data taken from 10,875 poll stations in 29 provinces, up to 14.83 percent of the KPPS attempted to influence or intimidate voters to choose a particular ticket.

Each polling station had one KPPS.

Some local and foreign election observers had suggested earlier that the elections were fair, and free from any form of intimidation.

Wahidah said the intimidation mostly occurred in remote places.

Most KPPS members also failed to apply the correct voting procedures during both the legislative election and the first round of the presidential election.

At least 22.7 percent of KPPS in the 29 provinces did not check the fingers of voters before they cast their votes to ensure that they had not previously voted.

A total of 7.5 percent of KPPS also allowed voters to cast their votes using other people's voter cards, while 7.3 percent did not check the identities of voters.

Up to 11.8 percent of KPPS also failed to employ correct administrative procedures before approving the results of the election while 9.7 percent failed to give copies of the approved results to witnesses for the respective presidential tickets.

"Their mistakes might be because they did not obtain sufficient training from the central KPU. It might also be because the members of the KPPS were not neutral themselves," said Wahidah.

She said the questionable neutrality of some KPPS members was due to an unfair recruitment system, with the members being selected by village chiefs.

"Most of the village heads are partisan. Therefore, we would urge the KPU to allow village councils to reselect the KPPS members," Wahidah suggested.

JAMPPI said that the failure of the KPPS to do their jobs properly might affect the ballot counting to the benefit or detriment of particular tickets.

Wahidah said that the KPU still had time to select and train new KPPS members based on a fair recruitment system before the second round of the presidential election on Sept. 20.

"Credible and professional KPPS are essential for ensuring the success of the election," she commented.

There were more than 570,000 polling stations across the country, with each KPPS consisting of 7 members.