KPU members differ on voter list update

Adianto P. Simamora ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 01/20/2009 10:26 AM  |  National

With legislative elections less than three months away, members of the National Election Commission (KPU) are split over whether or not to upgrade the national list of eligible voters.

The head of the KPU logistics bureau Dalail said the plan to revise the final list of voters could disturb preparations currently underway for purchasing election materials.

“Preparing materials for the election will take a lot of time. We can’t determine how much that will cost with the voter list constantly changing,” he told reporters Monday.

Late last year, the KPU announced the final list of eligible voters, which stood at around 172 million people.

However, following intense public criticism over the thoroughness of the voter list, the KPU submitted a draft government regulation in-lieu-of law (perpu) last month which allows the poll body to revise its lists.

Dalail said the frequently changing number of voters would effect all logistical planning for the election, especially the final quantities of ballot papers, ink, ballot boxes and polling booths required.

The KPU, which is responsible for arranging the ballot papers, ballot seals and ink for the election, has been under pressure since it failed to meet a government deadline to secure a contractor for the materials. It announced earlier this month that it had begun an open bidding process for companies wishing to supply the materials for the election.

Dalail’s office has promised to announce the winner of the bid this week after missing the deadline for determining the contractor in December 2008.

Dalail said manufacturing additional ballot papers at short notice was difficult and could only occur on the off chance there was an error in calculating the ballots.

Election watchdogs have warned the KPU it needs to improve voter data before announcing the final list to the public but the poll body insists its statistics are far better than in the 2004 elections.

KPU Chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshari said his office proposed the perpu because many voters were still unregistered or lived overseas.

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