Papua elects 140 election commission members

Papua elects 140 election commission members

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

After a two-week selection process, the Papua General Elections
Commission (KPUD) has elected 140 commission members to help
organize the general election in the province next year.

Papua KPUD chairman Marthen Ferry Kareth said on Monday that
the commission members, 18 of whom are women, had been selected
from 28 mayoralties and regencies throughout the province, with
each regency or mayoralty being represented by five members.

"The commission members were elected from among people of all
walks of live in 28 regencies and mayoralties," Kareth told The
Jakarta Post, citing teachers, journalists and activists of non-
governmental organizations as examples.

He said the 140 members were elected after being screened from
June 4 to June 20.

The elected members will be inaugurated on June 30 in Jayapura
by the provincial commission chairman.

The KPUD chairman said the commission members would organize
the general election in the province as well as ensure
transparency and accountability in the ballot counting.

When asked whether the selection process had been tainted with
corruption, Kareth said that anybody later proven to have been
engaged in such practices would be punished in accordance with
Law No.12/2003 on general elections.

He did not elaborate on what punishment would be meted out.

Kareth also said the KPUD would try to register Indonesians
leaving in refugee camps in neighboring Papua New Guinea for next
year's elections.

He said some of these refugees had expressed a willingness to
return to the province and participate in the elections.

"They are also Indonesian citizens, but they ran away due to
many problems here. Should they want to return, we will welcome
them," the official said.

He further said that he would inform the central government of
the presence of these Indonesians living in exile, before
deciding on their participation in the elections.