Poor elections preparations

Poor elections preparations

The general election is coming closer and closer, but preparations for the elections are not going well. It is easy to see how poorly the logistics procurement by the elections committee is going, a problem that could cause a delay of the elections.

The production of the ballot boxes, for instance, will be completed today, but the boxes are too small and can only hold 265 ballots, smaller then the original design to hold 300 ballots.

There also are problems with the printing of the ballots. Of the 660 million ballot sheets, only 2.5 million, or some 0.4 percent, have already been printed. Even when the ballots are ready, it will take 14 to 20 days to distribute them.

These problems could have a negative impact on the elections, including the possible issuance of illegal ballots. This would present the possibility of regions filing a lawsuit to invalidate the elections.

The worst-case scenario is a delay of the general election, which could harm democracy in the country. The General Elections Commission (KPU) has become trapped in technical logistics problems, which is not its area of expertise. Like it or not, this problem has shown to the public just how unprofessional the KPU is when it comes to logistics.

Some non-governmental organizations have called on the KPU to announce an emergency situation on the logistics issue, while others have urged the government to help the commission overcome these problems.

Obviously, the procurement of elections supplies is a business and involves a huge amount of money. Unfortunately, this business was centralized and put entirely in the hands of the KPU. This is ironic since the KPU is managed by experts in democracy and decentralization. -- Media Indonesia, Jakarta