VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Tuesday 17 July 2018 is the deadline for registration of candidates for legislative members. Indonesian General Election Commission -KPU has set the stage of registration up to the determination of Legislative Candidates for 2019 Election. The announcement of the candidate list was publicized on 1-3 July, and the stages of the submission of candidate list are on July 4-17.

A number of political parties began to register their prospective candidates for the members of the House of Representatives -DPR which in the 2019 General Election to the KPU on Monday (16/7/2018). Based on the official schedule of the KPU, there are at least seven political parties to register their candidates. The seven parties are the NasDem Party, the Indonesian Solidarity Party, the National Awakening Party -PKB, the Working Party, the Golkar Party, the Perindo Party and the Justice and Unity Party of Indonesia (PKPI). This means that eight political parties have not registered their candidates. So, they only have time until Tuesday (17/7) They are the National Mandate Party -PAN, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle -PDI-P, the Democrat Party, the Gerindra Party, the Garuda Movement Party, the Hanura Party, the Prosperous Justice Party -PKS, the United Development Party -PPP.

Commissioner of KPU, Ilham Saputra hopes that political parties should ensure to register the names of legislative candidates who have no administrative problems so that there is no need to be restored or repaired by the political parties. He also reminded that in the registration of candidate files, there is no candidate who is an ex-convict of corruption. Therefore, the KPU during the verification process of the candidate will certainly not pass the legislative candidate who was a convict of corruption. In addition, the KPU will not extend the registration period because it is feared that it will affect the election day.

The question is why political parties choose to register their candidates only 2 or even one day from the registration deadline. Why are they taking risk? In fact, they should have known that it would be risky for the prospective candidates. If a candidate has been verified and he or she is not eligible,  they may fail to become legislative candidates. This will certainly disadvantage the legislative candidates and political parties. Or will the KPU be generous to provide additional time for those who will complete the shortcomings or improve the requirements as a candidate? But it should not happen. The KPU should show a good example or educate the legislative candidates as well as the political parties about the meaning of being disciplinary. Being disciplinary is necessary and educative so that if the legislative candidates are elected later, they must be responsible and disciplinary to attend the parliamentary meetings.