KPU Urges Indonesian Broadcasting Commission to Impose Sanctions on Three TV Stations

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The General Elections Commission (KPU) is asking the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) to impose sanctions on TV stations broadcasting the quick count result before the election ended. KPU member, I Gusti Putu Artha, said that this broke the ethical code. We and the survey institutions agreed not to broadcast the survey results before the voting was completed, he said at his office, Jakarta, Wednesday (8/7).Putu explained that the state degree No.42/2008 about the presidential election did not arrange the broadcast time. The Constitutional Court (MK) also canceled an article about this. But from an ethical perspective, they cannot broadcast it while people are still voting, he said. The broadcasting could influence public opinion towards certain candidate. The survey could influence the psychology of voters who has not yet voted. It hampers the election process that should be held in a direct, public, secret, honest, and fair way, he said. Putu explained that when KPU found the survey being broadcast on TV, it directly asked three TV stations, including RCTI, MetroTV, and TVone, to stop it. We do not have the authority to impose sanctions.Putu also mentioned MetroTV that hold a quick count without registering it to the KPU first. Their survey result is not accountable as it was not registered, he said. PRAMONO