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.