Selection Team for General Elections Watchdog Urged to be Transparent
Thursday, 16 February, 2012 | 20:40 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Arwani Thomafi, Secretary of the United Development Party (PPP) Faction, said that the selection result for the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the General Elections Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) members must be transparent and available for the public. Arwani said that such openness must be demonstrated by the team, at least to the candidates involved in the selection process. “The candidates have the right to receive explanation on the team’s decision. That right must be fulfilled,” said Arwani in a discussion at the Forum of Community Care for the Indonesian Parliament office in Jakarta on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Arwani said that in order to submit 14 names of the candidates for the KPU members to the president, the team must consider the candidates’ experience in general elections implementation and their leadership. Those criteria must be used as main consideration by the selection team to select members of the KPU. “Those criteria must be used as the basis of the team’s judgment,” Arwani added.

The aspects of public acceptance of the candidates, according to Arwani, should also be taken into consideration because the KPU will be among the public and community in doing the commission’s job. “Community includes political community such as political parties and civilians including NGOs and community organizations,” Arwani went on.

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