Bill on legislative body composition confuses election commission

Bill on legislative body composition confuses election commission

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The General Elections Commission (KPU) said on Friday that it was
still confused about exercising its verification authority to
replace legislators recalled by their parties with new
candidates.

"How can we verify legislative candidates to replace recalled
legislators, if in 1999, election constituents voted for parties
and not for legislators," KPU Deputy Chairman Ramlan Surbakti
said.

Under the newly endorsed bill on the composition of
legislative bodies, legislators could be recalled if they were
unable to carry out their daily duties continuously, could not
meet requirements as legislators any longer, violated the
legislative code of ethics or committed a crime.

Ramlan said the bill allowed the KPU to verify those
legislative candidates to replace recalled legislators.

But the newly endorsed bill also requires the KPU to verify
candidates who would replace incumbent legislators based on their
ballots, which did not exist in the 1999 election.

Once the KPU finishes the verification process, it will
recommend the replacements to House leaders, who will then seek
final approval from the president.

The newly endorsed bill will be applied to the new legislative
bodies, but it stipulates that articles on recalling legislators
were also applicable to the House of Representatives in session,
he said.

A number of legislators have been dismissed by their parties
but they refused to quit the House, saying that the dismissal was
illegal.

With the articles of the newly endorsed bill on the
composition of legislative bodies, they must now be replaced with
new legislators.

Ramlan said KPU might consider verifying legislator candidates
to replace recalled legislators based on their party ranking.

Meanwhile, National Awakening Party (PKB) leader A.S. Hikam
said that his party would be prudent in implementing the articles
on recalling legislators.

"We think that a recall cannot be made if it is not
necessary," he said.

But, he stressed, legislators did not only represent the
people, but also parties.

"Therefore, if our legislators frequently violate the party's
rules, they must be recalled as a last resort," he said.