Two more printing firms give up jobs

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Just 20 days away from polling day, two more printing companies gave up on Tuesday their contracts to print over 26 million ballot papers for the election of regental legislature (DPRD II) members.

The cancellation forced the General Elections Commission (KPU) to distribute the printing jobs to other firms.

KPU member Hamid Awaluddin, who is also the head of the KPU legal division, identified the companies as PT Bengawan Ilmu in Semarang, Central Java and PT Kuwu Cakti Abadi in the West Java city of Bandung. Both had returned their templates to KPU.

"We are considering taking legal action against them as they agreed to take the templates a week ago, but now they have returned them to us without doing anything," Hamid said.

Bengawan Ilmu was responsible for the printing of 11.3 million ballot papers for nine regencies in West Java, while Kuwu Cakti was responsible for printing some 15 million ballot papers for 15 regencies in East Java.

KPU deputy secretary general Sussongko Suhardjo said the printing jobs would be awarded to PT Aneka Ilmu.

A total of three printing companies have now given up their jobs, including PT Rorakarya, which returned its template on Monday. The company was responsible for printing over 5 million ballot papers.

KPU had planned to take legal action against the firm, but as of 3.45 p.m. on Tuesday, the plan had not materialized.

KPU has named 18 firms to print 660 million ballot papers for the April 5 election.

It was also discovered that at least one firm, Tricipta Adi Mandiri, had participated in many KPU tenders such as for ink and ballot boxes. The company's tax data reported zero sales and no value-added taxes in 2002 and 2003.

KPU has set a March 18 deadline for the printing companies to finish the ballot papers for the election of provincial legislature members (DPRD I) outside Java, and March 20 for the printing of ballot papers for the election of DPRD II members in Java.

Separately, Rorakarya director Raizon Rais said his company had sent a warning to KPU for its intention to take legal action.

On the same day, KPU member Valina Singka Subekti said the commission and the Indonesian Military (TNI) had decided to cooperate only in the delivery of ballot papers to Papua.

The other six provinces: Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, North Maluku, West Irian Jaya and Riau Islands will receive ballot papers delivered by four distribution firms, she added.

Valina said it was impossible for TNI to transport ballot papers to all seven provinces due to its limited aircraft.