ABRI bill before house

ABRI bill before house

JAKARTA (JP): Just two months after the idea was broached by President Soeharto, the government has submitted a bill to the House of Representatives proposing to reduce the number of military seats in the House.

Disclosing the government proposal in a new working session of the House (DPR) yesterday, Speaker Wahono promised to give the bill a speedy reading in order to resolve the matter swiftly.

He added that the House's meeting schedule would be adjusted accordingly.

Welcoming the initiative, Wahono stressed that democracy does not solely depend on the formal political order and structure, but more on the spirit and wishes of the people.

"Democracy progresses in accordance with changes in society's values which in turn will evolve into a political culture that is both democratic and Pancasila," he said referring to the state ideology. "With this in mind, we welcome the initiative to cut the size of the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction in the House from 100 to 75."

Soeharto in March ordered the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to look for ways to improve the electoral system, including the military's political role.

The Armed Forces has already announced that it is prepared to see its representation in the House slashed by the next general elections in 1997. It was the Armed Forces who suggested the cut from 100 to 75.

The government bill proposes reviewing article 10 of the 1985 Law on the Structures and Composition of the House of Representatives. The clause states that 400 of the House's seats should be contested at the general elections between the three political groups and the other 100 be allocated to the Armed Forces, whose members do not vote.

Wahono said the House supports the new bill not because it considers ABRI's representation in the House or other state institutions to be undemocratic or because of foreign pressures.

"Some foreign parties might view the military as an undemocratic force, but for Indonesia, the Armed Forces has proven itself as a dynamizer, inspirer, and motivator for the growth and development of Pancasila Democracy.

"I think the question of whether or not it is democratic for someone from the Armed Forces to serve in the House of Representatives or other state institutions is irrelevant."

"Democracy is not determined by the uniform or rank a person wears. There is ample evidence to show that some ABRI members are more democratic than non-military people."

Wahono also appealed to the public at large not to encourage the development of a polemic pitting the Armed Forces against civilians. "We'd like to remind you once again that this would be very dangerous to the unity and cohesion of the nation." (emb/rid)