President, VP, house speaker agree not to postpone elections

Jakarta, NU Online
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, and House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Agung Laksono in an informal talk here decided that the legislative elections on April 9, 2009 must not be postponed.

House Speaker Agung Laksono said the informal meeting which was also attended by Constitutional Court (MK) Chairman Mahfud MD was conducted after the swearing in of Constitutional Court Justice Harjono at the State Palace here on Tuesday.<>

"After the inauguration of the Constitutional Court justice, the president, vice president, and I had an informal talk at which we shared the view that there is no reason to postpone the legislative elections," Laksono said.

He said in the informal talk it was acknowledged that in a national agenda such as election all sorts of problems were inevitable.

But the problems should not become an excuse to postpone the elections because a postponement would create an even greater problem.

"A postponement can even disturb and harm our national system, and therefore, if there is a problem, we have to overcome it without disturbing the national agenda," Laksono said.

He said the government and state institutions did not have to hold a formal consultative meeting to discuss the problems arising in the run up to the general elections, including the controversy about permanent voters lists (DPTs).

"It is not necessary to hold a formal consultative meeting because there are no big problems to be discussed," Laksono was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

To deal with the controversy about the DPTs, the House speaker called on the General Elections Commission (KPU) to open the list to the public to clarify the accusation of fictitious voters.

"I think the KPU is not careless and thus there is no reason to postpone the elections because a postponement will damage the national system," he said. (dar)