Provincial legislative candidates unveiled today

Provincial legislative candidates unveiled today

JAKARTA (JP): The final provincial legislative list of some
13,500 candidates was completed Wednesday morning, National
Elections Committee (PPI) chairman Jacob Tobing said.

Diskettes containing the list will be distributed to the media
on Thursday, while the committee will have the list printed
either on Friday or Saturday.

By Wednesday afternoon, some 100 complaints concerning the
nominees had been submitted. Most of the complaints were made by
party members unhappy with internal party choices.

He said the complaints concerned candidates who had repeatedly
become legislatures and those "who did not reflect public
aspirations".

Jacob acknowledged that the committee had "neglected" setting
a time frame for parties to raise objections.

As a result, only two days was allowed for both parties and
the public to challenge the listing. In the earlier set schedule
there were six days to raise objections, from May 12 until a day
before the temporary list was issued on May 18.

Article 44 of the elections law states parties are allowed to
raise objections to the list "in the period stipulated by the
National/Provincial/Regional Elections Committee".

He said most changes from the temporary list involved
candidates from the three established parties -- the United
Development Party (PPP), the Golkar Party and the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), he said.

He said the National Elections Committee (PPI) is also
investigating allegations of foul play regarding the list of
candidates.

Journalists receiving the diskettes of temporary lists on
Sunday found discrepancies in the listing of candidates and
provinces.

On Monday, Jacob insisted the original file was complete.

PDI Perjuangan has claimed it has submitted candidates from 27
provinces, while the list received by The Jakarta Post contained
names for only 15 provinces.

With doubts now raised over the accuracy of the data, the
printing of the final list may be carried out by a company other
than PT Metro Pos, the company which printed the temporary list
for the official elections committees.

As of Wednesday, Jacob had not named any alternative firm.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) urged
the announcement of the final list of legislative candidates be
delayed to provide more time for the public to assess the list.
YLBHI said on Wednesday many of the representatives on the list
are unfamiliar.

But Jacob said further postponements would delay the poll.

Separately in Solo, Central Java, the PDI Perjuangan branch
demanded the withdrawal of its chairwoman's husband, Taufik
Kiemas, from the candidate list for Palembang, South Sumatra.

According to Yubiarno, the Solo branch chairman, PDI
Perjuangan must avoid nepotism, Antara reported.

In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, objections against the
legislative lists mounted. A large number of complaints were made
by Golkar followers concerning internal party choices.

In Jakarta, police arrested on Tuesday night a party cadre for
inciting hatred between Muslims and PDI Perjuangan, city police
spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said on Wednesday.

Lubis said the suspect, identified as Wahyu Basuki Setiardjo,
who claimed to be a candidate for the City Council, was arrested
for printing brochures which stated that two executives of PDI
Perjuangan were against Islam.

"We seized 20,000 sheets of brochures from a printing company
in West Jakarta," Lubis said.

An employee of the printing company, said to be an admirer of
chairwoman of PDI Perjuangan Megawati Soekarnoputri, was offended
with the brochures and reported their existence to the police,
Lubis said.

He said the printing firm's owner, admitted receiving the
printing order from a man, who was arrested and who gave police
the name of the main suspect.

He said Setiardjo would be charged with inciting hatred, which
carries a maximum punishment of two-and-a-half years in jail or a
fine of up to Rp 4,500. (edt/30/jun)