Experts insist civil servants can join political parties<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Constitutional law and political experts
\ninsisted on Wednesday that the 1945 Constitution assures civil
\nservants and servicemen of their right to join political parties.<\/p>\n
Rebuffing their political counterparts in the discussion on
\nthe political bills here, the constitutional law scholars argued
\nthat aside from reasons of human rights, the constitution
\nguarantees equal political rights for all citizens, including
\ncivil servants and servicemen.<\/p>\n
Sri Sumantri, a professor of Jayabaya University, slammed the
\npolitical bills that ban civil servants and soldiers from
\npolitics.<\/p>\n
\"Civil servants and servicemen have the right to join the
\nexisting political parties or establish their own and, therefore,
\nthe bills need revision in accordance with the constitution.<\/p>\n
The constitution stipulates that all citizens are guaranteed
\ntheir political rights and freedom to associate and speak.<\/p>\n
To be consistent with the constitution, he said, the
\ncontroversial 1966 Provisional People's Consultative Assembly
\ndecree that bans the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) should be
\nrevoked.<\/p>\n
The current law requires that civil servants and servicemen
\nretire before joining political parties.<\/p>\n
Gde Panca Astawa, a constitutional law expert at the
\nPadjadjaran University in Bandung, said the bill fails to explain
\nwhy civil servants and servicemen are banned from political
\nparties.<\/p>\n
\"The bill must preserve equal rights for all citizens in
\npolitics and provide adequate and logical reasons if it exempts
\nmilitary servicemen and civil servants,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, political experts defended the barring of civil
\nservants and servicemen from politics due to practical and
\nhistorical reasons.<\/p>\n
Ramlan Surbakti from Airlangga University in Surabaya, East
\nJava, said civil servants and servicemen could exercise their
\nright to vote in general elections but they are not allowed to
\nactively involve themselves in political parties because it will
\nhamper their neutrality.<\/p>\n
\"It will be very dangerous if government officials and civil
\nservants are allowed to hold certain positions in a party or the
\nIndonesian Military is permitted to form its own party,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the nation should learn from the New Order era during
\nwhich the military stood behind the ruling party Golkar and
\nservicemen were forced to vote for the party.<\/p>\n
Maswadi Rauf from the University of Indonesia concurred and
\nsaid Indonesia would suffer a setback if the military is free to
\njoin or set up its own party.<\/p>\n
\"The military's involvement in politics will certainly kill
\ncivilian supremacy and we will have a military-style regime
\nagain,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Regarding the bill on the composition of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR), House of Representatives (DPR) and
\nprovincial and regency legislatures, the experts were also
\ndivided over the revival of a ruling that allows a party to
\nwithdraw its representatives and the composition of the proposed
\nregional representatives in the House.<\/p>\n
Many defended a party's authority to recall its legislators in
\nthe parliament while others were of the opinion that it would
\ngive the parties more power than the House.<\/p>\n
Maswadi said political parties should be authorized to
\nsideline their respective legislators who are considered unable
\nto channel their constituents' aspirations.<\/p>\n
On the contrary, Bagir Manan, a constitutional law expert from
\nthe Padjadjaran University, said the right to recall legislators
\nstipulated in the three political bills should be phased out
\nsince the ruling would restrict legislators from being creative
\nand outspoken.<\/p>\n
\"Such a ruling is against the planned district system. A
\ndecision to sack legislators means a political party ignores the
\ntrust of constituents in the legislators,\" he said, adding that
\nonce elected, legislators represent the people.<\/p>\n
All the experts supported the planned \"bicameral\" or two-room
\nsystem in the parliament but they were divided over the
\ncomposition of the regional representatives.<\/p>\n
The bill on the composition of the MPR, DPR and provincial and
\nregency legislatures regulates that the number of regional
\nrepresentatives is 120 and they are to be elected directly in
\ngeneral elections. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/experts-insist-civil-servants-can-join-political-parties-1447893297",
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