Habibie enacts three new political laws<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie has enacted three
\npolitical laws around which the general election in June will be
\norganized, effectively foreclosing any further revisions.<\/p>\n
Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) Harmoko
\nannounced on Thursday that Habibie signed the three bills -- on
\npolitical parties, on general elections, and on the composition
\nof the People's Consultative Assembly, the DPR and the provincial
\nand regency legislatures -- into law on Feb. 1.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Habibie at the
\nMerdeka Palace, Harmoko said the House and the government
\ntogether appealed to the people, all the nation's sociopolitical
\nforces and the political parties to support the June 7 election,
\nso that it could proceed in a democratic fashion.<\/p>\n
Harmoko said political parties contesting the election as well
\nas other sociopolitical forces should work to ensure a safe,
\norderly and smooth general election.<\/p>\n
The new laws would have to be disseminated, a task that would
\nfall on the government, the House, the political parties and the
\nvarious agencies set up to organize the election, he said.<\/p>\n
In the latest consultation between the two, Harmoko was
\naccompanied by his four deputies while Habibie was accompanied by
\neight members of his Cabinet.<\/p>\n
When the three bills were endorsed by the House on Jan. 28,
\ngovernment officials said they would undergo a one-month period
\nof public dissemination before Habibie signed them into law.<\/p>\n
This was intended to give the more than 100 new political
\nparties which were not represented in the House time to digest
\nthe contents, and raise objections and possibly demand revisions.<\/p>\n
There was no official explanation of the sudden change of
\ntiming in signing the bills into law. In the past week, however,
\nonly a few of the new political parties have raised objections to
\nthe new laws. The National Mandate Party (PAN) under Muslim
\nscholar Amien Rais dropped its demand for revisions and deemed
\nthe legislation was the best that could be expected given the
\ncircumstances.<\/p>\n
A number of smaller political parties have asked the
\nIndonesian Legal Aid Institute to file a judicial review petition
\nwith the Supreme Court to test the constitutionality of the laws.<\/p>\n
This week, a team of 11 respected and nonpartisan public
\nfigures have been appointed by the government to help sift
\nthrough all the new political parties to determine which ones are
\neligible to contest the election. The team has until the end of
\nthe month before its work of preparing the election is taken over
\nby the General Elections Commission.<\/p>\n
Harmoko also disclosed a very busy legislative agenda for the
\nHouse in the coming months as it completes its term: more than 16
\nbills, all presented by the government.<\/p>\n
Three bills were presented on Friday: on regional
\nadministrations, on prevention of corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism in government, and on repealing the law on referenda to
\namend the constitution.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the government would present bills on repealing
\nthe subversion law, endorsing the UN Convention against Racialism
\nand Discrimination and the UN Convention on Human Rights.<\/p>\n
Other bills to be presented in the coming days and weeks
\ninclude one on national security and defense, one on the
\nallocation of resources between central and regional
\nadministrations, eight bills on implementing decrees enacted by
\nthe MPR in November, two bills endorsing the government's
\nagreements with the International Monetary Fund, and bills
\nregulating the oil and gas industry, and on the designation of
\nBatam, Rempang and Galang islands in Riau province as economic
\nzones. (emb\/prb)<\/p>",
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