DPR starts debate on political bills<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives began on Friday the
\nreading of three political bills -- much-awaited because they
\nwill govern how next year's first post-Soeharto general election
\nwill be conducted.<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid introduced the bills in
\na plenary session led by Deputy House Speaker Hari Sabarno of the
\nArmed Forces faction.<\/p>\n
Hari said a special committee of 87 legislators had been
\nassigned to deliberate the bills together with the government.<\/p>\n
Syarwan hoped the deliberations would be completed before the
\nend of December. If the legislature endorsed the bills, \"the
\ngovernment believes the 1999 election will take the nation into a
\nnew era of Indonesian democracy<\/p>\n
\"God willing, it (the upcoming election) will bring about a
\nnew, legitimate and fully acceptable government,\" Syarwan said.<\/p>\n
The drafts of the new political laws are on elections (74
\narticles), political parties (19 articles), and the structure and
\nfunction of the House and the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR) and the regional legislatures (DPRD) (50 articles).<\/p>\n
Unlike the present law on political parties which allows only
\nthree parties to contest elections, the proposed new law would
\nadhere to multiparty precepts, Syarwan said.<\/p>\n
Every citizen aged over 21 can set up a political party of
\ntheir own and those aged above 17 -- or less if married -- can
\nbecome party members. But all the parties must name the state
\nideology Pancasila as their organizational canon.<\/p>\n
\"However, parties are allowed to have their unique
\ncharacteristics which are shown and implemented through concrete
\nparty programs,\" Syarwan said.<\/p>\n
The bill on political parties also stipulates that members of
\nthe civil servants corps and the Armed Forces are now allowed to
\nbecome political party members or executives.<\/p>\n
To curb the possibility of \"money politics\", political
\nparties' financing affairs would also be regulated under the new
\nlaw, Syarwan said.<\/p>\n
He said the bill sought to regulate that a party was allowed
\nonly to receive donations of up to Rp 5 million (US$454) a year
\nfrom any individual and Rp 50 million annually from corporate
\nbodies.<\/p>\n
The bill says a party should register every donation it
\nobtains and have it audited by a public accountant. Every party
\nmember donation worth more than Rp 100,000 must be registered
\nalong with the donor's name, address, profession and the donor's
\nbosses, the bill regulates.<\/p>\n
All parties must report once every four months (including 10
\ndays before elections and 30 days after) an audited finance
\nreport to the local Electoral Committee, once these bodies have
\nbeen established.<\/p>\n
Foreign donations to parties are banned under the proposed new
\nlaw.<\/p>\n
On qualifications to contest the elections, the existing
\npolitical parties -- close to 100 to date -- will be regulated in
\nthe proposed law on the general election.<\/p>\n
The second bill says a political party needs to have 13
\nprovincial branches and that it must have subbranches in at least
\nhalf of the regencies in any province.<\/p>\n
If a party fails to meet the above requirements, it must have
\nat least one million signatures from its prospective
\nconstituents, complete with their names and addresses and copies
\nof their identification cards.<\/p>\n
When asked, Syarwan denied on Friday the accusation that such
\na regulation was made to benefit the currently dominant Golkar
\npolitical grouping.<\/p>\n
He reiterated the government's commitment to have just and
\nfair elections in May or June next year.<\/p>\n
On the proposed new law on the MPR\/DPR\/DPRD structure and
\nfunction, members of the MPR will number 700 -- comprising the
\ndirectly elected 495 DPR members, 55 appointed Armed Forces
\nmembers, 81 indirectly elected regional representatives (three
\nfrom each of the 27 provinces) and 69 representatives of
\nreligious, racial and occupational groups.<\/p>\n
The present MPR members number 1,000, including the 75 Armed
\nForces legislators. (aan)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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