The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
An NGO demanded Thursday the House drop a KPU candidate over his alleged affiliation with a political party less than five years ago, because it was a violation of the law on general elections.
Article 11, section i, of General Elections Law No. 22/2007 says persons affiliated with a political party five years out from their application to join the General Elections Commission (KPU) are not acceptable.
People Voters Education Network coordinator Jeirry Sumampow asked House of Representative members to drop Theofilus Waimori from his KPU candidacy.
The NGO said it believed Theofilus was affiliated with the Democratic Party's branch in Papua in 2004 as a party legislative candidate.
""House members should pay serious attention to this matter as we expect a KPU member to be impartial and free of interest,"" Jeirry said.
""And this kind of interest could jeopardize the result of the upcoming general election.""
The People Voters Education Network is a non-governmental organization founded in 1999 by several groups including the Islamic mass organizations affiliated with the Nahdatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, interfaith communities, universities and radio news networks.
It aims to improve public participation in politics and government processes.
Theofilus Waimori has denied his name was in the 2004 legislative list of the Democratic Party's branch in Papua.
He said the information was incorrect, but declined to elaborate.
Secretary of the Democratic Party at the House, Soetan Bhatoegana, said he had checked the 2004 legislator's list and not found Theofilus' name.
""I am sure about that because I was the secretary for the internal selection of legislator candidates in 2004,"" Soetan said.
KPU's website, however, has the name Theofilus Waimori on the list of legislators from the Papua branch of the Democratic Party. The person is one of 10 legislator candidates listed and records show the candidate drew 1.186 votes during the 2004 general election for legislative members.
House member with the Golkar Party Ferry Mursyidan Baldan said the House should re-screen Theofilus.
""If it is proven that he is still related to that political party, off course House members should cancel his candidacy and replace him with another candidate,"" he told detik.com.
He said the House should also conduct investigations into the selection process as a whole, in order to ensure its quality.
All candidates have to undergo administrative and psychological screenings before they are listed.
The newly appointed Home Minister Mardiyanto handed over the list of 21 KPU candidates to House speaker Agung Laksono on Wednesday.
The 21 candidates were selected from 45 who passed the first selection phase, which involved hundreds of applicants.
The House will conduct a ""fit-and-proper"" test to select the final seven KPU members, before they are formally endorsed by the President.
The 2007 laws on the organization of general elections says the KPU membership should be made up of seven people.
Provincial and regional levels of KPU have five members each. (10)
