Security lax at KPU, says official

Security lax at KPU, says official

Moch. N. Kurniawan and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Security measures at the General Elections Commission (KPU) office are lax, making it vulnerable to attack by intruders, head of the commission's Security Bureau, Djon Sani, says.

Djon said the office lacked security guards and had a poor security system, rendering it impossible to anticipate attack.

Djon said the office had only three security groups with five security officers in each group, while it required about 12 people per group.

"We cannot monitor the building closely, for example every two hours, as my staff are concentrating on manning the security post, managing and monitoring the parking lot and checking visitors," Djon said.

Djon was asked to comment on an anonymously sent package of 11 bullets that was delivered to the office on Tuesday evening. In the package was also a note that demanded the KPU select a certain specification of ballot box for the 2004 general election.

The KPU has opened a tender for the procurement of ballot boxes for both the legislative election in April 2004 and the two-phased presidential election in July and August 2004.

The package raised concerns over the safety of the 11 KPU members and staff members at the office.

The KPU compound has only one main gate. There is no emergency exit, making it difficult for KPU members and employees to leave the building in the event of a terrorist attack or protest.

"We planned to make an emergency exit at the back of the KPU building, but we cannot use the land there as it does not belong to the KPU," he said.

Djon said the KPU intended to use a lot and vacant building owned Bank Indonesia for an emergency exit, but BI said it still needed the land and building," he said.

"So we have no way out yet concerning an emergency exit," he said.

Protection for KPU members was also at a minimum as only two police officers guarded KPU chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin, while other members had no such protection, he added.

"It would be better for the police to give KPU members personal protection as they are public servants who can make enemies because of their decisions," he said.

In the event of a fire, he said fire extinguishes were available at the KPU office. However, it has not been checked whether the extinguishes work.

"We have asked firefighters to check the devices to ensure that we can use them, but they have yet to do so," he said.

He said the KPU office had two undercarriage mirrors to check vehicles, four metal detectors and six cameras. The commission is planning to put up a airport-style detector gate.

"The city police also plan to connect the KPU's camera to a television monitor at the police office," he said.

The Central Jakarta Police said they had started investigating the anonymous package sent to the KPU members and were questioning five witnesses and collecting evidence.

"We have set up an investigating team and a fact-finding team for the case," Sr. Comr. Sukrawardi Dahlan, head of Central Jakarta Police, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.