KPU TO MONITOR REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Ungaran, Nov 9 (ANTARA) -The Semarang district General Election Commission (KPU) in Central Java plans to tightly monitor the activities of various survey institutions in the regional elections on July 31, 2010.

"It is alright to conduct a survey but the survey institution needs to be independent without any political motivation," Semarang district KPU spokesman Suara Deny Ariawan said here on Sunday.

Ariawan said the KPU would give a registration card to a credible survey institution, especially in relation to the local election, and those who have had a registration card fro KPU, were permitted to conduct the regional election survey.

Based on the agenda of the local elections agenda, Ariawan said the survey institutes would start operation in January next year.

"The survey institutions are prone to politicization by certain candidates," Ariawan said.

He said the result from a survey institution of certain candidates frequently aroused public opinion about one of the candidates in the regional elections.

"That is what we have to monitor," he said, adding that the KPU would make a financial audit, including the survey institution from academicians.

"Lest a certain district head candidate financially supports the survey," Ariawan said.

Therefore, he added that the KPU would require every survey institution to include the source of funds it gets and their tax file number (NPWP) in order to make sure that the particular institution was independent.

He said a survey institution which has been audited and was able to obtain a registration card from the KPU would have access to various data and related information about regional elections from the local KPU.

"We are going to take legal measures against the survey institutions which have no responsibility and disturb the process of the regional elections," Ariawan said.