Bill on political parties to beat Jan. 28 deadline

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives (DPR) looks set to endorse the bill on political parties before the Jan. 28 deadline, despite two important issues still left to be discussed.

On Wednesday, Robbani Thoha of the United Development Party (PPP), Yahya Zaini of Golkar and government representative Andi A. Mallarangeng expressed their optimism the bill would be passed in early January.

The two issues still left unresolved are whether political parties should retain the state ideology Pancasila as their foundation and whether civil servants should be allowed to join political parties.

The House has set a deadline of Jan. 28 to complete deliberation of bills on political parties, general elections, and the structure of the country's legislatures.

"The poll organizing committee can be set up as soon as the bill on general elections is passed (on Jan. 28)," Robbani said.

Andi said that early endorsement would allow new political parties to register themselves for the election on June 7.

New parties, of which there are now more than 100, will be required to notify the Ministry of Justice of their establishment.

On Tuesday, PPP legislator Zuhad Madja said his faction -- which has been campaigning against obliging political parties to use Pancasila as their underlying ideology -- was studying a proposal to instead include Pancasila as the state ideology in party statutes.

On Wednesday, Golkar -- the sole faction campaigning for civil servants to be allowed to join political parties -- said it would announce its final stance on the issue later this month.

"Just wait for a press conference from Golkar after Dec. 25," Golkar faction secretary Soekotjo Said told journalists in his office.

The PPP, the Armed Forces (ABRI) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) factions agreed with a government proposal to make civil servants politically neutral.

Golkar legislator Yahya Zaini said the House had agreed to allow political parties to receive financial donations during deliberations of the bill on political parties on Wednesday.

In any given year, political parties will be allowed to receive a maximum of Rp 15 million (US$2,000) from each individual donor and Rp 150 million from each corporate donor, subject to audit by public notaries appointed by the Supreme Court, he said.

The government originally proposed a ceiling of Rp 5 million for individual donations and Rp 50 million from corporate entities. (aan)