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KPU needs reform, strong leadership, conflict resolution

Jakarta Post - November 18, 2012

Jakarta – Nurul Arifin, a Golkar lawmaker at House Commission II on regional autonomy, says the House will summon Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi to clarify an internal rift within the General Elections Commission (KPU).

Lawmakers need information from the minister because the rift involves KPU secretariat staff members, many of whom are officials with the home ministry.

The conflict emerged publicly last Saturday after a KPU commissioner, Ida Budhiati, complained about the KPU secretariat staff members who did not fully support the work of the KPU members. She said secretariat staff members refused to help the administrative verification of 34 political parties in mid-October.

Nurul said on Friday that the House would summon the minister, as well as KPU secretary general Suripto Bambang Setyadi, in the next two weeks. "We will ask for explanations from Suripto and the minister, " Nurul, said during a panel discussion in Jakarta.

She added that the KPU, with the help of the ministry, should reorganize officials in the KPU secretariat in order to end the rift, which had caused a delay in the announcement of the verification result.

"The most important things [to do] are to replace the vice secretary general, Asrudi Trijono, and to evaluate the bureau heads. We cannot expect better performance from the KPU if he does not share the same visions as the commissioners," Nurul said.

Besides Asrudi, Nurul named KPU Law Bureau vice chief Saiful Bahri as another official who should be dismissed. According to Ida, Saiful shouted at her to leave an internal meeting between the KPU secretariat and the commissioners on Oct. 24. Saiful said the incident was the culmination of the internal conflict.

Saiful added that the KPU secretariat staff members had been supporting the commissioners. "We are right behind them," he said on Friday, as quoted by tempo.co.

Nurul's suggestions were echoed by Titi Anggraini, executive director for the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), who said the KPU needed to break the shackles of the ailing bureaucratic system. (yps)