Politicians lack education

Politicians lack education

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Over 30 percent of the 559 legislative candidates for the Mataram mayoralty legislative council are elementary school graduates, an official revealed on Thursday.

The legal minimum education level for a legislative candidate is junior high school.

Abd. Hamid Faesal, chief of the Mataram elections committee, said the legislative candidates' lack of formal education had put the committee in a difficult situation.

"We have to discuss the matter with the political parties contesting next month's election," he told Antara.

Only 38 of the 48 parties have branch offices to attract the 185,200 voters in Mataram.

Faesal said if political parties did not have candidates with higher education qualifications, the committee might have to accept the candidates.

"But then they have to face public scrutiny," he said.