Seat allocation get mixed reactions<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Electoral activists gave on Friday mixed reactions over the
\ndecision by the General Elections Commission (KPU) to allocate
\n550 House of Representatives seats for the nation's 32 provinces
\nin the 2004 general elections, with more than 50 percent of the
\nseats going to Java.<\/p>\n
Hadar N. Gumay of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) said
\nthe disparity of seats given to Java and to other provinces was
\nappropriate, as Java accounts for 59 percent of the country's
\n214.8 million population.<\/p>\n
The KPU has allocated 303 seats, or 55 percent, to provinces
\nin Java in proportion with the voter population represented on
\nthat island.<\/p>\n
Ray Rangkuti of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee
\n(KIPP) criticized the seat allocation, since it was not in line
\nwith efforts to narrow the social and economic gap between Java
\nand other islands.<\/p>\n
Hadar further said the allocation of House seats should have
\nbeen pegged closer to the actual voter representation for each
\nrespective province.<\/p>\n
"If the KPU intends to calculate highly and low-populated
\nareas individually, and not simply determine Java as a highly
\npopulated area and (islands) outside Java as a low-populated
\narea, we will have a fairer distribution of seats," Hadar said.<\/p>\n
He also complained about the KPU's assumption that new
\nprovinces -- Banten, Gorontalo, Bangka Belitung, Riau Islands and
\nWest Irian Jaya -- should only receive a minimum of three seats
\neach, as in past elections.<\/p>\n
"Such an assumption is too severe. For example, they should
\nhave assumed that highly populated Banten, which was separated
\nfrom West Java, should have more than the three seats it had in
\nthe 1999 elections.<\/p>\n
"I also don't agree with their assumption that the new
\nprovinces already existed during the 1999 election. There are
\nbetter ways to arrange this," Hadar said.<\/p>\n
Ray warned that the great disparity in the allocation of House
\nseats allocation would incur protests from several provinces
\noutside Java.<\/p>\n
"There will be parties that will question the validity of the
\nKPU's decision on the House seat allocation," he said.<\/p>\n
He also pointed out that several provinces that did not meet
\nthe quota of 325,000 voters per seat had been given at least
\nthree seats to comply with the General Elections Law.<\/p>\n
"This means that the seats must be taken from other
\nprovinces," he said.<\/p>\n
He thus called on the KPU to hold a public discussion or
\nconsult with the legislative council at the provincial and
\nregental levels and ask for feedback on the seat allocation.<\/p>\n
"The KPU should then request a final, legal opinion from the
\nConstitutional Court," he said.<\/p>\n
The KPU, which has also completed the allocation of seats for
\nall legislatures at the provincial and regency levels, must now
\ntackle the job of establishing electoral districts.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/seat-allocation-get-mixed-reactions-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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