The Election of The Chief of Electoral Committee by Six Members

Electoral Committee (KPU) has already recruited a substitute for the deceased Husni Kamil Malik. Juri Ardiantoro was chosen through discussion and voting. Some people assessed that this quick act is due to the starting of 2017 Local Elections in August. Others assessed that it is not proper to refer to the remaining time before the stage still suffices to wait for the substitute members to fill in the position.

“The chief can be directly elected without waiting for PAW (substitution between time) of the deceased Sir Husni because in quorum it has fulfilled the requirements,” said the Executive Director of Association for Election and Democracy (Perludem), Titi Anggraini (19/7).

According to Titi, there are a lot of duties that need definitive leadership in KPU. One of them is related to the preparation and the running of 2017 Concurrent Elections in 101 regions. The first stage will start in August 2016.

Titi*s explanation is important to be connected with the condition status of the Head of KPU*s position emptiness. Before Juri was elected, for several days the position was covered by Hadar Nafis Gumay dengan with Plt status.

A member of KPU, Ida Budhiati explained that the status of “Plt Chief” is important for leadership function of KPU in the mean time. However, a “Plt Chief” cannot commit strategic matter just like the Chief (definitive) of KPU. What is meant by strategic is the signing of budget and legal product of KPU, such as KPU Regulation.

“We were once admonished by DKPP due to the regulation that was signed by Plt Chief. Regulation is a strategic thing that involves statehood and the importance between parties, therefore it must be signed by the Chief,” said Ida.

As for the choosing of Hadar as “Plt Chief”, it is to prepare the election of Definitive Chief of KPU. The need of leadership can be fulfilled through Plt Chief of KPU until the choosing of Definitive Chief.

What Ida delivered answered different perspective from the Head of Second Commission of DPR, Rambe Kamarul Zaman. In the hearing assembly in DPR (18/7) Rambe stated that the election of the Head of KPU must await for the substitute members to fill in the emptiness of members.

“It is better that seven people elect the Head of KPU. DPR has sent a letter to the president. There must be a letter from the president that this is empty. The substitution is in accordance with the result of fit proper test. We also sent that one,” said Rambe.

According to Ida, the first stage of 2017 Local Elections has started since August 2016. KPU needed to do public testing and ratification for several PKPU so that the head of KPU is absolutely needed. Waiting for KPU*s substitution members so that the member of KPU becomes seven is probably ideal, but in order to produce proper PKPU what is better is certainty.

In the evening after hearing meeting on July 18^th 2016, six members of KPU elected the Head of KPU through a private plenary assembly at KPU RI Secretariat, on Imam Bonjol Street. Election was done and resulted in the elected Head of KPU around dawn.

“At that time, the six of us have similar understanding that the Head of KPU must be admitted as soon as possible,” Ida said (21/8).

Ida told that the election of the Chief of KPU was done in two stages. The first one is through voting. The second one is through discussion. In the first stage, two names were obtained, Juri Ardiantoro and Hadar Nafis Gumay. In the second stage, discussion did not involve Juri and Hadar so that the discussion was done only with four members of KPU: Ida Ida, Sigit Pamungkas, Ferry Kurnia Rizkiyansyah, and Arief Budiman. In this stage, the four members of KPU agreed to elect Juri Adiantoro as the Head of KPU in substitute of Husni Kamil Malik, “Everyone agreed in choosing Juri through a discussion,” said Ida convincing. []

USEP HASAN SADIKIN

Translated by Andina