Students to monitor election

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Thousands of students from more than 100 universities across the country are expected to be involved in monitoring and voter education work during next year's general elections, it was announced on Friday.

The rector of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University, Sofian Efendi, said that the Rectors Forum, a grouping of more than 100 university rectors from throughout Indonesia, had agreed to get students involved in the upcoming elections.

The students's involvement could be substituted for their obligatory community service, which would not be held next year due to the elections. Final-year students in Indonesia must do community service work before completing their studies.

Students were also involved in monitoring the 1999 elections.

The students could be drafted in to educate voters or to monitor both the legislative and presidential elections.

"We will train them first. Therefore, the forum will cooperate with the central and local offices of the General Elections Commission (KPU), as well as the General Elections Monitoring Committee (Panwaslu)," Sofian said.

He said that each university would fund the work of the students.