Government to issue regulation on unregistered voters

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 06/05/2009 11:10 PM  |  National

Smarting from the voter list fiasco which marred the legislative elections in April, the government and the House of Representatives are considering issuance of a regulation-in-lieu of law (Perppu) that will enable unregistered voters to cast their ballots in the presidential election on July 8.
 
“Even though the election is drawing near, issuing a Perppu is still feasible as long as the draft does not contain too many articles and the public demands it,” presidential advisor for legal affairs Denny Indrayana said on Friday.
 
However, he said the President would be very careful in issuing the regulation.
 
“Perppu is a very exclusive alternative. The President will not issue one unless the matter is very pressing. Issuing it will give the impression that our country is in a state of emergency,” he said.
 
He said the President would only issue the regulation if the House lawmakers agreed that it was needed.

Observers estimated that 40 million people were not registered for the legislative elections.
 
Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmaker Ignatius Mulyono said the House would hold a series of meetings to discuss the matter.
 
“Basically, we don’t want citizens to lose their constitutional rights,” he said.
 
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle legislator Dwi Ria Latifa warned that a Perppu would not mean anything without strict enforcement. (fmb)

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