40 new parties protest proposed political laws<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Sixty executives of 40 new political parties
\nmade a fresh appeal to the House of Representatives on Thursday
\nto drop the political bills they have been deliberating and
\nintroduce new ones which accommodate people's democratic
\naspirations.<\/p>\n
\"The three draft laws are part of the ruling Golkar's
\ndeceitful strategy to win the next general election. New ones
\nshould be made. New political parties are ready to make new laws
\nif the House refuses (to drop them),\" said Edwin Sukowati, an
\nexecutive of the National Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
He said he was sure the government-sponsored bills, if passed,
\nwould give Golkar an unfair edge in the election planned for next
\nMay.<\/p>\n
\"Golkar will surely take advantage of the draft laws which are
\nrestrictive toward the existing parties... and stipulate that
\nregional representatives in the People's Consultative Assembly
\nare elected by the provincial legislative councils which are
\nalready dominated by Golkar,\" he said.<\/p>\n
La Rose, the chairwoman of the Women's Party, said the
\npolitical bills would curtail the actions of political parties
\nestablished since the beginning of the new, supposedly
\npolitically open, era in May.<\/p>\n
\"All political parties should be allowed to contest the next
\ngeneral election and those which get less than 5 percent of the
\n500 seats contested should be allowed to be represented in the
\nHouse,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The draft law on political parties requires them to get at
\nleast one million supporters' signatures in order to participate
\nin the general elections and those which get less than 5 percent
\nof the contested seats should ally with other parties before they
\ncan be represented.<\/p>\n
La Rose, also a novelist, said both the government and the
\nSupreme Court had no authority to dissolve political parties.<\/p>\n
\"They should be dissolved by their own congresses,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The draft law on political parties seeks to grant authority to
\nthe Supreme Court to disband political parties whose statutes
\ncontravene the law.<\/p>\n
Supeni of the Indonesian National Party (PNI) criticized the
\npolitical bill which aims to prevent civil servants and active
\nservice personnel from being on political parties' executive
\nboards.<\/p>\n
\"All citizens, including civil servants and service personnel,
\nhave political rights to elect and be elected in a general
\nelection,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Agus Miftach of the Indonesian People Party (PARI) criticized
\nthe draft laws for allocating too many seats to the Armed Forces
\nand introducing too many requirements and restrictions on
\npolitical parties.<\/p>\n
He blasted the stipulation that legislative candidates had to
\ncollect at least 300,000 signatures from residents of a district
\nthat he\/she wanted to represent.<\/p>\n
He also said the Armed Forces should not be represented in the
\nHouse and that the 55 seats to be allocated to the Armed Forces
\nshould be contested by political parties.<\/p>\n
Achmad Rustandi of the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction and
\nBachtiar Chamsjah, secretary of the United Development Party
\n(PPP) faction, said the legislators had, over the course of their
\ndeliberations, succeeded in changing 80 percent of the submitted
\nbills.<\/p>\n
\"In its deliberations, the House's special committee has made
\nmany changes so that the bills are now 80 percent different from
\ntheir original texts,\" said Bachtiar.<\/p>\n
He said that his faction was also against the Armed Forces'
\nrepresentation in the House and would raise the matter in the MPR
\nSpecial Session next month.<\/p>\n
Andi Matalatta, chairman of the House's Golkar faction, denied
\nthe accusation that Golkar and the government had colluded in
\npreparing the bills in an attempt to win the general election.<\/p>\n
\"The draft laws are open to changes and Golkar is committed to
\npreparing a democratic government,\" he said. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/40-new-parties-protest-proposed-political-laws-1447893297",
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