PPD I orders background check on councilors
PPD I orders background check on councilors
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Provincial Elections Committee (PPD
I) will reexamine documents supplied by the 76 city councilor
candidates to establish whether they are Jakarta residents, a
committee executive said on Sunday.
Head of the committee's program division Muchamad Taufik said
political parties who had gained city council seats must replace
legislative candidates who were not Jakarta residents.
"If we find that their KTP (identification cards) submitted to
us are fake, they can be charged for having committed a crime,"
he told The Jakarta Post.
Taufik said that based on the Election Law, candidates for
provincial legislative councils must reside in the province where
they are nominated.
The regulation, however, was not directed toward legislative
candidates in the national legislature or those representing the
Indonesian Military (TNI), he said.
In addition to checking the identification cards, PPD I would
also perform a background check on the councilors' diplomas,
medical records. Their financial assets will also be audited.
Taufik said the verification process would take place this
week. He did not indicate when the assessment would be completed
or whether the results would be publicly announced.
He said there were no changes in the configuration of seats
for the city council, even though three stembus akoord (or
agreements on the pooling of leftover votes), had been annulled
by the General Elections Commission (KPU).
KPU has acknowledged two stembus akoord agreements; one among
eight Muslim parties and another between the Love the Nation
Democratic Party (PDKB), the Indonesian Unity in Diversity Party
(PBI) and the Indonesian Democrats Alliance Party (PADI).
No loose
Taufik said the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) would not loose
its one seat previously gained through the leftover votes pooling
mechanism.
"Even though the PKP's stembus akoord agreement with six other
parties was not acknowledged by the KPU, the party could still
gain the seat, because its leftover votes were enough for the
seat," he said.
Voting results in the city showed the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) would grab 29 of the 76 city
council seats. Also taking seats on the council will be the
United Development Party (PPP) (13 seats), the National Mandate
Party (PAN) (13 seats), the Golkar Party (7), the Justice Party
(PK) (3), the National Awakening Party (PKB) (2) and the Crescent
Star Party (PBB) (1).
Another two parties, the United Party (PP), and the Indonesian
Unity in Diversity Party (PBI), will each gain one seat each.
Taufik said PPD I had yet to decide whether two seats gained
through the leftover votes pooling agreement among the Muslim
parties would go directly to the Justice Party (PK), which gained
the biggest share of the vote.
"Another one seat can go to the Crescent Star Party (PBB),
which gained the second largest share of the vote, because there
was another internal agreement that the total seats gained
through the stembus akoord should not all be allocated to the
party with the most votes," he said.
He said the electoral committee had allowed the Muslim parties
two to three days to resolve the issue.
There are 85 seats on the council, nine of which are allocated
to TNI.(ind)