Panwaslu questions KPU screening

JAKARTA: The Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) questioned on Monday the General Elections Commission (KPU)'s decision to let Love the Indonesian Nation Democratic Party (PDKB Indonesia) pass its administrative screening.

Panwaslu member Topo Santoso said the party, which participated in the 1999 election under Love the Nation Democratic Party (PDKB), had no legal status yet.

He said the legal problem had started since PDKB, which failed to meet the 2 percent electoral threshold in the 1999 election, failed to change its name when it registered with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights as a political party in February this year.

Based on the political party law, parties that failed to meet the electoral threshold in 1999 must join other parties or register as new ones to contest the 2004 election.

Strangely, the ministry granted PDKB the legal entity status. Later on, PDKB changed its name into PDKB Indonesia, in which the ministry approved.

Topo said it was PDKB which should have undergone the next process of verification by KPU thanks to its legal status. --JP