Election law gets low priority<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite public fear of a suspended election, amendment of the
\ngeneral election law is not a priority in the upcoming session of
\nthe House of Representatives (DPR), which will start on Monday.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the House's legislation body Zein Badjeber said on
\nFriday that the House would have to rush through other, more
\nurgent, bills.<\/p>\n
"Ideally the election bill should be deliberated in a special
\ncommittee (to be set up later)," Zein told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
According to Zein, there were at least four bills that had to
\nreceive priority for deliberation: on a commission for the
\neradication of corruption, on advocates, on money laundering, and
\non amnesty.<\/p>\n
After the Constitution has being amended, allowing the country
\nto adopt a direct presidential election system in the 2004
\nelection, many related laws will also need to be revised.<\/p>\n
The amendment also requires the establishment of the Regional
\nRepresentatives Council (DPD), which will back the formation of a
\nbicameral parliamentary system.<\/p>\n
Member of the General Election Commission Mulyana W. Kusumah
\nsaid earlier that the government would need 18 months to
\npublicize the election law prior to the ballot. Therefore, speedy
\ndeliberation was recommended.<\/p>\n
Zein said, however, that the government and the legislature
\ncould start deliberation of bills on the election system and
\ncomposition of the DPD, the regional legislative council (DPRD),
\nand the DPR.<\/p>\n
He said that there were two bills on the election system: One
\nwas being prepared by the Home Ministry's team and the second was
\nbeing jointly outlined by the House and the University of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Zein said that the lawmakers would immediately deal with the
\none that was submitted first for deliberation and treat the other
\nas supplementary input.<\/p>",
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