Candidates' registration over,hurdles unresolved

The Jakarta Post ,  Bandung, Jayapura, Kupang   |  Thu, 08/21/2008 10:19 AM  |  Headlines

While most of the provincial general elections commissions (KPUD) officially closed registration for legislative candidates on Tuesday at midnight, a number of political hurdles remain unsolved.

One of the problems is the lengthy dispute within the National Awakening Party (PKB), with two rival camps remaining split between the party's advisory patron Abdurrahman Wahid and the party's chairman Muhaimin Iskandar, resulting in two lists of the party's candidates.

A clash among supporters of the two groups nearly occurred in Bandung as the West Java KPUD only accepted the list of candidates from Muhaimin's camp.

"We only accepted the legal PKB which is recognized by the central government," Ferry Kurnia Rizkiansyah, chairman of the KPUD's working committee on the candidates, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The election commission's decision to only admit Muhaimin's list of legislative candidates was contrary to the national General Elections Commission (KPU), which accepted lists of candidates from both of the conflicting camps.

Similar to the KPU, the Central Java KPUD accepted lists of candidates from both groups, Antara reported from Semarang.

The Central Java KPUD also accepted double lists of legislative candidates from two other disputed political parties -- the Indonesian Democratic Upholder Party and the Nationhood Democratic Party.

Central Java KPUD chairperson Fitriyah argued that nothing was wrong with accepting the double lists of candidates as the commission would further verify the lists and would return them if they were not qualified.

Similarly, the Papua KPUD accepted lists of candidates from the two PKB camps, but said it would return the lists to the party's central board which was recognized by the central government.

So far, the government has acknowledged Muhaimin as the party's chairman who has the right to decide the party's legislative candidates.

PKB cofounder and former RI president Wahid, popularly called Gus Dur, initially fired Muhaimin as the party's chairman but the Supreme Court annulled the dismissal.

The conflict between the party's leaders has severely trapped supporters at the grassroots level in confusion as well as burdened the registration process in the election commissions.

Aside from the PKB snag, almost all of the election commissions across the country, except for the Papua KPUD, had accepted lists of legislative candidates by the last minutes of the registration period on Tuesday night.

The Papua KPUD extended registration until Wednesday evening as many political parties in regencies such as in Jayawijaya and Lani Jaya had not yet submitted their candidate lists.

"If no parties register their candidates, who will fill the legislative council?" Papua KPUD chairman Benny Sweni asked.

Separately, several East Nusa Tenggara legislative candidates from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) resigned, citing nepotistic practices in the order of listed candidates.

PDI-P Kupang chapter chairman Yeskial Loudoe said the resignations were sparked by the nomination of GT Kamilus, the younger brother of the East Nusa Tenggara governor, and also the party's provincial chapter chairman Frans Leburaya, among the top candidates.

Nethy Dharma Somba contributed to this article from Jayapura, Papua, Yuli Tri Suwarni from Bandung, West Java, and Yemris Fointuna from Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

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