Army conducts study on electoral system

Army conducts study on electoral system

JAKARTA (JP): The Army Staff and Command College has launched its own study concerning the various alternatives of the general election system that Indonesia could adopt in the future, the Army Chief of Staff said.

Gen. Hartono told reporters in Bandung on Saturday that the college has taken the initiative to conduct the study which, when completed, would be submitted to the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

The institute has been asked by President Soeharto to study which election system is best suited to Indonesia: The current proportional representation, in which the House of Representatives' seats are divided among the political groups according to their tally of votes, or the district system, in which each seat is won by the majority winner, no matter by how small a margin.

The college, which is based in Bandung, is also considered the Army's think tank group, which played a prominent role in laying down the foundations of the New Order administration of President Soeharto at the start of his rule in 1966.

Hartono was in Bandung over the weekend to mark the college's 44th anniversary.

Asked specifically when the study would be completed and presented to the institute, the general turned the question over to the college commandant, Maj. Gen. Arifin Tarigan, who quickly replied, "Hopefully before this December." (emb)