Legislator deplores PDI candidate list<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A legislator criticized the government yesterday
\nfor accepting the election candidate list from the rift-ridden
\nIndonesian Democratic Party (PDI), saying that the list breached
\nthe electoral law.<\/p>\n
A.A. Oka Mahendra, a member of House Commission II for home
\naffairs, said in a hearing with Minister of Home Affairs Yogie
\nS.M. that the PDI had listed 903 legislative candidates although
\nthe law allowed 850 to be listed.<\/p>\n
Oka said the electoral law stated that the number of
\nlegislative candidates that a contesting group could propose was
\ntwice the number of contested seats in the House.<\/p>\n
Next year, Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and
\nthe United Development Party (PPP) will contest 425 seats in the
\n500-seat House of Representatives. The remaining 75 seats are
\nreserved for the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n
Golkar and PPP have each submitted 850 names of legislative
\ncandidates to the National Elections Institute.<\/p>\n
\"Accepting a list with more than 850 candidates is against the
\nlaw,\" said Oka, a House member from the ruling Golkar
\norganization.<\/p>\n
Yogie, who is also chairman of the National Elections
\nInstitute, did not answer Oka's objection. Yogie responded by
\nsaying that the electoral law should be properly abided by.<\/p>\n
Separately, the secretary-general of the national elections
\ninstitute, Suryatna Subrata, said the institute would return the
\nproposed list to the PDI central board.<\/p>\n
\"The PDI central board has to revise the list and nominate a
\nmaximum of 850 names,\" Suryatna told reporters after the hearing.<\/p>\n
Oka questioned why the government had assigned the National
\nCouncil for Defense and Security, instead of the Minister of Home
\nAffairs, to develop guidelines on campaigning for next year's
\nelection.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto has asked the National Council for Defense
\nand Security to draw up new guidelines for the 1997 election
\ncampaign.<\/p>\n
\"Why should the task go to the council? Is the Home Affairs
\nMinistry too busy supervising the existing three political
\norganizations to do it?\" Oka asked.<\/p>\n
Yogie said that next year street rallies involving huge
\nnumbers of people would no longer be permitted because they had
\nthe potential to disturb security and public order.<\/p>\n
\"We should develop an electioneering system which emphasizes
\neach party's programs on offer to potential voters. It would be
\nmore educational politically,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On the heating political climate in the lead-up to the 1997
\ngeneral election, Yogie said it was still within tolerable
\nlimits. (imn)<\/p>",
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