Minister tells KPU to resolve ballot price deadlock

Minister tells KPU to resolve ballot price deadlock

Andi Hajramurni and Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post,
Makassar/Jakarta

Home minister Hari Sabarno urged the General Elections Commission
(KPU) on Monday to resolve immediately the deadlock over printing
costs between the commission and tender participants to allow
early printing of ballot papers.

"Ballot papers are very urgent items because they cannot be
replaced with any alternative materials, as with ballot boxes,"
the minister said in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Over 160 million ballot papers are to be printed for the
general elections scheduled for April 5 to elect members of the
House of Representatives, provincial and regental legislatures
and the Regional Representatives Council.

"The KPU and tender participants have not reached an agreement
on the price. The KPU does not dare to select quotations higher
than the budget," Hari said.

The KPU has delayed selecting the winners of its ballot
printing tender due to a price disagreement. The commission had
originally set the cost between Rp 248 and Rp 266 per ballot
paper, while bidders had submitted quotations ranging from Rp 269
to Rp 538. The commission had thus decided to raise the cost to
between Rp 248 and Rp 283 per ballot paper.

However, KPU member Mulyana W. Kusumah, chairman of the
printing tender committee, said on Monday that the commission and
the eight firms had agreed on the printing price for the ballot
papers, but did not go into details.

The KPU is expected to select four winners from the eight
qualifying bidders: Temprina Media Grafika, Pabelan Cerdas
Nusantara, Setiaji, state-owned Printing Company, Balai
Pustaka, Dharma Anugerah Indah and Asia Cemerlang Perdana.

The KPU has encountered unforeseen obstacles during each
tender in preparing necessary materials for the national
elections, from ballot box production to ballot paper production,
to the most recent ink supply tender.

Meanwhile, KPU member Rusadi Kantaprawira, chairman of the ink
tender committee, said on the same day that he expected to pick
winners on Tuesday evening.

He said the KPU still planned to choose four winners to import
the ink, but might give a chance to local producers to provide
ink for 2.5 percent of the 1.1 million ink bottles needed for the
April 5 election.

"Local indelible ink might be given an opportunity in the next
ink tender for the July 5 presidential election," he said.

In a separate issue, Anas Urbaningrum, chairman of
presidential and vice presidential aspirants registration
committee, said a candidate could only be nominated by a
political party or a coalition.

A presidential candidate from one political party cannot be
nominated as a vice presidential candidate by another political
parties and vice versa, he said.

Law No. 23/2003 on presidential and vice presidential
candidates stipulates that only parties and/or a coalition of
parties garnering 3 percent of House seats or five percent of
votes can field candidates in the country's first ever direct
presidential election on July 5.