Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Aceh might be dubbed the "Veranda of Mecca", but that seems to have done little to help the 81 candidates for the Aceh provincial legislative council who failed the Koran proficiency test.

The controversial test, organized by the Aceh Independent Election Committee (KIP), was taken by 1,368 candidates from local and national parties.

"Candidates who failed the test are not eligible to contest the 2009 elections," KIP candidacy working group chairman Yarwin Adi Dharma said Tuesday. "All of the candidates who failed are from national parties while those from the six local parties all passed the test."

Yarwin said it appeared local parties were more prepared than the national ones in readying their candidates for the proficiency test. "Perhaps the local parties conducted proficiency tests of their own," he said.

For candidates for regional councils, West Aceh, which had the highest number of candidates sitting the test, had the highest number who failed – 147 out of 601 – followed by Lhokseumawe municipality with 69 out of 423 candidates failing.

In Southwest Aceh 41 candidates failed, as did 35 out of 500 candidates in Langsa municipality, 22 out of 471 candidates in South Aceh and 11 out of 400 candidates in Pidie. "Other regencies have yet to send their results," Yarwin said.

The KIP said it was fully aware its decision to disqualify candidates who failed may lead national parties to file a lawsuit.

Lawsuits are possible as the Provincial Ordinance No. 3/2008 on Local Parties regulating the Koran proficiency test is regarded as violating a higher regulation, Law No. 10/2008 on Political Parties.

Home Minister Mardiyanto has revoked Article 36 of the provincial ordinance requiring candidates from national parties to take the Koran proficiency test.

Yarwin admitted national parties had their own regulations for candidacy under the 2008 law.

"We are fully aware of the lawsuit possibilities. But that is a consequence of the KIP's duty in enforcing the ordinance," he said. "So far no national parties have filed lawsuits. Perhaps the national parties are afraid and reluctant to sue the KIP because they do not want to lose supporters or be branded as un-Islamic."

A number of factors may have contributed to candidates failing the test, including the application of different standards.

North Aceh KIP candidacy working group chairman, Ayi Jufridar, admitted each regency and municipality used different standards. "The Aceh KIP actually uses a low standard, even lower than the Koran recital competition at the district level," he said.

The KIP scores the test according to three criteria: pronunciation worth 40 points, precision 20 points and manner 20 points. The pass mark was 50 points.

"Some regions even conducted the test openly where the public could witness each candidate's performance," Ayi said. "This caused psychological pressure for candidates and many of them could not concentrate."

One prominent Aceh figure, Humam Hamid, said the failure rate was a disgrace as Aceh had already declared itself a province implementing sharia.

"But it turns out that many people are still unable to implement it in their daily lives," he said. "However, this does not mean the failed candidates are bad people or prone to graft. We are humans, not angels."