ABRI seats still being disputed<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The issue of the number of nonelected seats in
\nthe legislature the Armed Forces (ABRI) will be allocated
\npromises to remain controversial as the Jan. 28 deadline to
\nendorse the political bills currently being deliberated in the
\nHouse of Representatives quickly approaches.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the working committee deliberating the bill on
\nthe structure of the House, the People's Consultative Assembly
\nand provincial and regency legislatures, claimed factions were
\nclose to an agreement on the number of nonelected seats to be
\nallocated to the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n
Chairman Abu Hasan Sazili said on Saturday that the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) faction had agreed to allocate five
\npercent of the proposed 500 seats in the lower House to ABRI, up
\nfrom its original proposal of two percent.<\/p>\n
He said that Golkar proposed between a five percent and eight
\npercent allocation, while the government and the ABRI faction
\nproposed an eight percent allocation. The faction of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party (PDI) is expected to agree with the
\nmajority on the issue.<\/p>\n
However, on Sunday, the leader of the PPP faction in the
\nHouse, Zarkasih Nur, denied such an agreement from his faction.<\/p>\n
\"No, it's not true. We agree that ABRI needs to make its
\npresence effective in the House, but assuming that there will be
\n10 House commissions with two members from each faction on the
\ncommissions, it will be enough for ABRI to have 20 seats,\" he
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Zarkasih said his faction would strive to reduce \"to the
\nminimum\" the number of nonelected seats in the House, \"for the
\nsake of justice and to enable the produced laws to be
\naccommodative of public aspirations.\"<\/p>\n
Sazili also said PPP, ABRI and Golkar had promised
\n\"flexibility\" when final discussions on the issue begin.<\/p>\n
\"We have already agreed to be flexible and accommodative on
\nthe issue,\" he said. \"The actual number of seats for ABRI is no
\nlonger a crucial issue.\"<\/p>\n
Along with the question of the political role of civil
\nservants, the number of seats to be allocated to ABRI has proved
\nto be an obstacle in the deliberations of the three political
\nbills. The People's Consultative Assembly, in its special session
\nlast November, agreed to reduce gradually ABRI's presence in the
\nHouse.<\/p>\n
The decision came as the Armed Forces' reputation plummeted
\nfollowing revelations of atrocities and human rights violations
\nduring the 32 years of Soeharto's New Order regime. Calls for the
\nmilitary to limit its involvement in politics have continued to
\nmount.<\/p>\n
Overcome<\/p>\n
Andi M. Mallarangeng, a member of the government team drawing
\nup the political bills, confirmed that the House factions had
\novercome most difficulties as they move toward accepting the
\ndraft law.<\/p>\n
However, he revealed that a trade-off had been arranged
\nbetween the factions. PPP will yield to ABRI and Golkar on the
\nissue of the number of seats for ABRI, in exchange for ABRI and
\nGolkar's support in PPP's campaign to keep civil servants out of
\npolitics.<\/p>\n
Faction leaders have agreed to drop the question of civil
\nservants' political rights from the bill on political parties. A
\ngovernment decree will soon be issued on the matter.<\/p>\n
\"The government is expected to be consistent in its stance
\n(for a neutral bureaucracy), but also flexible in handling
\ngovernment officials who want to be involved in political
\nparties,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Government officials and civil servants would in general be
\nkept neutral, and only those who have secured permission from
\ntheir superiors will be allowed to be active in politics,\" Andi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The last obstacle remaining in the political bills is the
\nquestion of whether voting in general elections would take place
\nat the regency level or the provincial level. Golkar is thought
\nto have the upper hand if House members are elected at the
\nregency level because village chiefs constitute a strong system
\nof support for the group -- a legacy of Golkar's role during the
\nNew Order regime.<\/p>\n
Andi believed even this last question would be settled
\namicably and smoothly.<\/p>\n
Andi, who participated in deliberations on the three political
\nbills, expressed his optimism that the House would meet the Jan.
\n28 deadline for approving the bills, and that the general
\nelection would be held on June 7.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ichlasul Amal, the rector of the University of
\nGadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, praised the three political bills for
\naccommodating most of the people's aspirations.<\/p>\n
\"The most importance thing is that the three bills can be
\npassed into laws and the general election be held on time so that
\nwe may immediately set up a legitimate and democratic
\ngovernment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He predicted a bumpy ride for Golkar in the election,
\nespecially in the densely populated Java and Madura where \"people
\ncan no longer be fooled\".<\/p>\n
\"Those who live outside of Java may vote for Golkar because
\nthey have yet to realize its past sins,\" Amal said.<\/p>\n
The front-runners in the election, Amal predicted, would be:
\nAmien Rais' National Mandate Party which enjoys the support of
\nthe 28 million-strong Muhammadiyah Islamic organization;
\nAbdurrahman Wahid's National Awakening Party which is supported
\nby the 30 million-strong Nadhlatul Ulama organization; and the
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri led faction of the splintered Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party. Each of these parties can be expected to win
\nbetween 15 percent and 20 percent of the vote, he said.
\n(rms\/44\/aan)<\/p>",
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