A step forward<\/p>\n
Our national political life has gone a step forward with the
\nadoption of a draft law concerning the composition of the House
\nof Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly (DPR\/MPR)
\nin a plenary House session last Thursday. The gist of the draft
\nbill involves the number of elected members in the House of
\nRepresentatives, which is expanded from 400 to 425. At the same
\ntime the number of members appointed from among the Armed Forces
\n(ABRI) is reduced from 100 to 75. With this change, the three
\npolitical organizations -- the United Development Party, Golkar
\nand the Indonesian Democratic Party -- get the chance to increase
\nthe number of seats they hold in the legislature in the 1997
\ngeneral elections.<\/p>\n
The question is what this reduction in the number of appointed
\nmembers from the Armed Forces will mean and what the implications
\nof it will be on the functioning of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
We do not know whether, with its position as a leader which
\ngives guidance while remaining in the background, the ABRI
\nfaction will continue to be able to function as a dynamic factor
\nwith ever increasing quality. It is not impossible that a
\nreduction in numbers will lead to a lessening in quality.<\/p>\n
To anticipate such a possibility, it is advisable for the
\nArmed Forces to select personnel of good quality to become its
\nlegislators, so that ABRI may effectively carry out its social
\nand political functions in the context of Pancasila Democracy.<\/p>\n
-- Suara Karya, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-step-forward-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }