LIPI researchers present alternative electoral system<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Members of the government-run National Institute
\nof Sciences (LIPI) gave their views to President B.J. Habibie
\nyesterday about how to conduct next year's general election. They
\nbegged to differ on several points from the system being proposed
\nby a team of the Ministry of Home Affairs commissioned to draft
\nnew electoral laws.<\/p>\n
The most notable departure was on the position of the Armed
\nForces (ABRI) in the country's political system.<\/p>\n
While the government's team drafting the electoral laws has
\nproposed a cut in the number of seats in the House of
\nRepresentatives allocated to ABRI from 75 to 55, LIPI is
\nproposing that ABRI's seats be eliminated altogether.<\/p>\n
ABRI, they said, should only be represented at the People's
\nConsultative Assembly and not at the House of Representatives
\n(DPR) or regional legislative councils (DPRD).<\/p>\n
All members of the DPR and DPRDs, they said, should be elected
\nand not appointed.<\/p>\n
Another major departure from the present system is their
\ndemand for the discontinuation of military screening for those
\nrunning for seats in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
\"Any screening of candidates should be conducted by the
\npolitical parties,\" LIPI chairman Sofyan Tsauri told reporters
\nafter the meeting with President Habibie at the Bina Graha
\npresidential office.<\/p>\n
Many young LIPI scientists broke ranks with the government in
\nthe last weeks of Soeharto's presidency, calling on the incumbent
\nto step down. They have since maintained their distance with the
\nnew government.<\/p>\n
LIPI said the DPR should consist of 500 elected members,
\nincluding 54 representing the provinces. The MPR should consist
\nof only 750 members instead of the present 1,000.<\/p>\n
It said ABRI should be given 54 seats in MPR, and 142 other
\nseats could be allocated to professional organizations, trade
\nunions and social organizations. The remaining seats in the MPR
\nshould be decided by the general election.<\/p>\n
While the government's team is advocating a combination of
\nproportional representative system and first-past-the-post
\ndistrict system, LIPI said the general election should retain the
\npresent proportional representative system, albeit with an
\nimprovement in the way it is administered.<\/p>\n
It proposed a minimum government role, as a facilitator and
\nnot as the one conducting the elections.<\/p>\n
It said that only political parties that had opened 14 branch
\noffices should be allowed to contest the election.<\/p>\n
\"Any citizen can run in the elections, including members of
\nABRI,\" political scientist Mochtar Pabotinggi, who accompanied
\nSofyan in the media briefing, said.<\/p>\n
ABRI members or civil servants who run in elections must
\nresign from their posts if they are elected, Mochtar said.<\/p>\n
On the presidential election, LIPI said there should be more
\nthan one candidate, and that parties contesting the elections
\nshould present their candidates for the president and vice
\npresident as a single package.<\/p>\n
The elected president and vice president must have their
\nwealth audited before taking office and again after they step
\ndown, Sofyan said. (prb\/emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lipi-researchers-present-alternative-electoral-system-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}