President agrees to reject budget for local elections

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has rejected the draft budget proposed by the General Elections Commission (KPU) to hold local elections in three new provinces, Minister of Home Affairs Surjadi Soedirdja said on Tuesday.

The rejection of the proposed budget virtually ends the commission's hopes of organizing the schedule for the June 10 elections to fill the legislative seats in North Maluku, Central Irian Jaya and West Irian Jaya that were established at the end of the former president B.J. Habibie's term last October.

"We won't grant the draft budget for the elections. The President agrees with the decision," Surjadi said on the sidelines of a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission II for home and legal affairs.

KPU has asked the government to allocate Rp 220 billion from the state budget to finance the elections.

Surjadi said the local elections were canceled due to unconducive security situations. He added that if the elections went ahead it was feared they could trigger new conflict.

He said the country's economic and financial conditions, which had yet to fully recover, did not allow the government to allot funds for the local elections.

During the hearing, Surjadi reiterated the government's approval of the planned dissolution of KPU, replacing it with a professional and impartial commission.

"As it has been agreed by the House, the government will support the establishment of a new commission as instructed by the state policy guidelines," Surjadi said.

The House commission II deputy chairman Ferry Mursyidan Baldan said the majority of political parties in the House had thrown their weight behind the cancellation of the local elections.

"The local legislators can be selected based on the votes each party gained during last year's general elections," Ferry, from the Golkar Party, said.

The plan has drawn protests from minor political parties which failed to win House seats in the general election. They have charged that the plan is part of a conspiracy by the larger parties.

Chairman of the Local Elections Committee (PPL) and KPU member Agus Miftach said the large parties were afraid of the commission's plan to reveal wrongdoings committed by supporters of the major parties during the last elections.

Agus said on Monday plans for the local elections would go ahead and PPL members would install election committees in the new provinces and regencies. (jun)