Jakarta – The General Election Commission (KPU) has failed to meet its Monday deadline for announcing the list of political parties eligible to contest the 2014 legislative elections, following a tense plenary session during which minor parties lambasted the commission for its lackluster performance.
The day-long meeting turned into a shouting match when officials representing the smaller parties began making their protests.
Some of the politicians accused the commission of being unprofessional and failing to uphold transparency in carrying out the final round of assessment; the factual verification process.
Secretary-general of the National Republic Party (Nasrep), Neneng A Tuti, alleged that KPU officials in some regions had not even verified his party's membership lists.
"For instance, we have 57 members in Kulonprogo, Yogyakarta – It is impossible for the officials to have met them and confirmed their membership in just one day. So how can they blatantly declare that we don't have enough members?" she asked during the meeting.
Officials from the Christian-based Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), the National Nahdlatul Ulama Party (PKNU) and the New Indonesian National Sovereignty Party (PKBIB) made similar claims.
PKBIB chairperson Yenny Zannuba Wahid accused the KPU of being unfair by favoring only major political parties. She then complained about the KPU order requiring party members to come to KPU offices in each provincial capital.
"For our members residing in far-flung or mountainous areas, they had to spend a lot on transportation expenses. This verification process only benefits financially strong political parties and not parties with large memberships," said Yenny, daughter of late president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.
Officials from major political parties appeared calm during the meeting aware that they would probably pass the screening. The Golkar Party officials thanked the commission for completing the process and filed no complaint.
Ahmad Rofiq, National Democrat Party (Nasdem) secretary-general, was optimistic that his party would be declared eligible to contest the 2014 election. "Our party's membership at provincial, district and city level has met the standard set by the KPU. We will pass this process smoothly," Ahmad said.
As of 10 p.m., the commission had not announced the final result and the heated debate looked likely to continue through the night.
On Sunday an election watch-dog predicted that the KPU would only permit 10 political parties to contest the 2014 legislative elections. The Indonesian Voters Committee (KPI) said that of the 10 political parties nine would be established parties that already had seats in the House of Representatives and one would be new.
The sole new political party is expected to be Nasdem. The KPI predicted that the parties which would fail verification and be barred from the 2014 elections would include the Star Crescent Party (PBB), the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI), the National Unity Party (PPN) and the National Care for People Party (PPRN).
The verification process has been marred by several controversies.
In late October, the commission announced 18 political parties had failed the administrative verification process. In the following month, the Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu) recommended that the KPU allow 12 of the disqualified parties to advance to the factual verification stage, stating that the commission had not been transparent in its work.
After the KPU rejected the recommendation, Bawaslu filed a complaint with the Election Organizers Ethics Council (DKPP), alleging that the KPU had violated ethics rules. The DKPP ruled that the commission must run the factual verification of the 18 parties previously disqualified. (yps)