Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) is being urged to immediately list the names of potential voters in next year's elections in order to allow millions of citizens to register for the polls.
KPU staff can no longer afford to remain behind their desks and wait for potential voters to verify that their names have been included on the official temporary list of voters (DPS), the People's Voters Education Network (JPPR) said.
"It's impossible to wait for the public to check that their names are on the DPS. The KPU needs to take an active role by visiting people, such as mosque congregations, asking them if they are already registered for the polls," JPPR director Jerry Sumampow told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
The KPU has thus far been passive in asking citizens to come forward and check their names against the list, he added.
"The KPU can't continue to just say they want more people to take part in the upcoming elections. They have to understand the fact that the public is not interested in this election," he said.
The KPU announced last week that some 170 million people have been listed on the DPS, a decline from the prior figure of 172 million. According to KPU member Sri Nuryanti, double counting was responsible for the previously inflated figure.
The poll body extended the deadline for allowing more potential voters to register their names to Oct. 31.
Indonesia will host its second direct elections, with the legislative election slated for April 9, 2009, followed by the presidential election in July 2009.
The KPU should also reach out to the poor, who have been denied access to identity cards, including those living under bridges or on riverbanks, Jerry said. "General elections differ from local elections. People who don't have ID cards should still be eligible for these elections."
Executive director of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) Hadar Gumay strongly criticized the KPU's performance in enlisting eligible voters. "The KPU has not acknowledged the poor quality of the list. Nor have they taken into account the voter registration survey," he said.
Hadar was referring to a survey jointly conducted in August by the Institute of Research, Education and Information on Social and Economic Affairs (LP3ES) and the National Democratic Institute. According to the survey, over 36 million potential voters have not been listed.
The KPU should improve its monitoring system to ensure its provincial and regency/municipal branches are able to verify voter lists, he added.
"The KPU cannot just send letters to its branches without setting up a proper monitoring system. If there's no improvement soon, many voters will go unregistered and public participation in the elections will be low."
The KPU met with the House of Representatives' Commission II on home affairs, regional autonomy and agrarian affairs last Friday, with many lawmakers doubting the accuracy of the voter lists.