Assembly to maintain floating mass policy

JAKARTA (JP): The minority Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) campaign for the revocation of the floating mass policy, long accused of curtailing political parties' outreach opportunities while giving undue clout to the dominant Golkar, looks set to be ditched.

The People's Consultative Assembly, pressed for time as deadlines loom, will probably agree to introduce some improvements in the general election rules if PDI agrees to drop its campaign against the floating mass policy.

Soedarjanto, a PDI Assembly member, said the bargaining was prompted by the chairman of the Assembly's ad hoc committee in charge of state policy guidelines, R. Hartono.

It was Hartono who suggested that the five factions in the Assembly discuss the last two motions on the floating mass policy and election rules simultaneously.

Both motions are sponsored by PDI and its fellow minority faction, the United Development Party (PPP), but opposed by the Golkar faction and its traditional allies -- the Armed Forces and regional representatives factions.

None of the six motions lodged by the two minority factions have received the Assembly's approval since deliberations started in late October last year.

The committee members will have to finish deliberation tomorrow to give themselves a week to prepare their reports. These will be delivered in a plenary session on Jan. 23.

Soedarjanto said PDI, as well as PPP, was considering pushing for election rule changes rather than the revocation of the floating mass policy.

"Our lasting goal is to establish fair general elections which must include transparent registration of voters and ballot counting," Soedarjanto said.

The government enacted in 1985 the floating mass policy which bars political organizations from conducting any political activities at the village level.

Golkar has repeatedly defended the policy, saying that it maintains both harmony among villagers and national stability.

PPP legislator Muhammad Buang said Golkar had in principle agreed to the minority factions' demand for greater participation of poll contestants in the general election process, from the registration of voters through to ballot counting.

He said he had drawn up a draft of improved general election rules and expected it to be approved in the remaining two days of deliberation. (amd)