Direct election of House members supported<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): All People's Consultative Assembly factions,
\nexcept for the Indonesian Military (TNI)\/Police faction, during
\ncommittee meetings here on Tuesday agreed that all of the House
\nof Representatives must be directly elected through a general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
In a session of an ad hoc committee, TNI\/Police faction
\nspokesman Hendy Tjaswadi suggested that Article 19 of the 1945
\nConstitution not be amended.<\/p>\n
"We think that the Article could be maintained," Hendy said
\nwithout giving further details.<\/p>\n
It's not clear why the faction seems to be backtracking on the
\nIndonesian Military's own commitment to leave the practical
\npolitics arena, or if the latest rejection is a ploy to gain
\npolitical concessions.<\/p>\n
According to Article 19, House members are installed by the
\nlaw. The law, which is now still being revised, stipulates that
\nHouse members are people who are directly elected along with
\nmembers from TNI\/Police who are appointed.<\/p>\n
Other factions, such as the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan), Golkar Party, the United Development
\nParty (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB), are
\nsupporting full election of House members.<\/p>\n
PKB and the Societal Group Representatives faction even
\nsuggested that the House members be elected through a district
\nsystem election.<\/p>\n
"In the future, people would choose persons instead of
\npolitical parties," PKB's spokesman Yusuf Muhammad said.<\/p>\n
The Crescent Star Party faction spokesman Hamdan Zoelva said
\nhis party is proposing that the House be able to propose the
\ndismissal of Cabinet ministers.<\/p>\n
"If the ministers commit crimes, violate laws, the House
\nshould have a right to propose to the President to dismiss the
\nministers," Hamdan said.<\/p>\n
KPU<\/p>\n
In a separate development, the government and the House's
\nCommission II for legal and domestic affairs agreed on Tuesday
\nthe general election bill which will be used to set up an
\nindependent general election commission (KPU).<\/p>\n
The commission's working group chairman Ferry Mursyidan Baldan
\nsaid that all factions in Commission II agreed that KPU should
\nconsist of 11 independent and non-partisan people.<\/p>\n
"The number is varied, but we agreed that KPU should consist
\nof 11 people," Ferry, who is also legislator from the Golkar
\nparty, said.<\/p>\n
He said the bill, which will revise the current Law No. 3\/1999
\non general elections, states that the president would propose 22
\ncandidates for KPU to the House who will then select the final
\n11.<\/p>\n
The push to drive the bill through came after the current KPU
\nbecame bogged down in party disputes and political wrangling.<\/p>\n
In the same session on Tuesday, the House and the government
\nalso agreed that the composition of local councils in new
\nregencies should be based on last year's general election result.<\/p>\n
The current KPU has repeatedly said that it would like to
\nconduct separate local elections for the new regencies.<\/p>\n
The government and the House maintain that the new regencies
\nare not ready for elections, saying that it would also be a waste
\nof money and has the potential to disrupt stability. (jun)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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