PRESIDENT CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE SOLUTION OF ELECTION-RELATED PROBLEMS

Jakarta, April 15 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the various problems that had arisen in the recent legislative election, including problematic permanent voter's lists (DPTs), should be dealt with immediately and seriously.

"These problems must be solved in amicable ways. Otherwise, they will have a negative impact on the next process of this year's general elections," the President said at a meeting with a number of provincial governors and cabinet ministers at his office here on Wednesday.
The head of state said although the processes in the general election were the domain of the General Election Commission (KPU), the central and provincial governments were required by the law to give whatever assistance was needed to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections.
"According to the law, the KPU is the election organizing institute with national, permanent, and independent manner. But the government has moral responsibility to help KPU in the corridor justified by the law," the president said.
It was for this purpose, the president said, that he chaired a meeting on Wednesday with a number of cabinet ministers and governors to obtain reports on the real conditions in the field and to make it as an input and recommendation to KPU.
"What I need from the governors is their brief reports on the real conditions and the real problems in the field in their respective provinces," Yudhoyono said, adding that the meeting on Wednesday was the follow up of the video conference with a number of governors on April 8, 2009.
Among the governors who were present at Wednesday's meeting with the president were Irwandi Yusuf of Aceh, Gamawan Fauzi of West Sumatra, Fauzi Bowo of Jakarta, Bibit Waluyo of Central Java, Syahrul Yasin Limpo of South Sulawesi, Barnabas Suebo of Papua, I Made Mangku Pastika of Bali, and Rudy Arifin of South Kalimantan.
Also present were Vice President Jusuf Kalla, State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Syamsir Siregar, National Defense Forces (TNI) Chief Gen Djoko Santoso, National Police Chief Gen Bambang Hendarso Danuri, Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, acting Coordinating Minister for Economy Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalatta.