Council not to have additional seats

Council not to have additional seats

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) will not be able
to fulfill the hope of Jakarta's politicians to have additional
seats in the City Council as it would violate Law No. 12/2003 on
general elections which was deliberated by the House of
Representatives on Feb. 18.

KPUD chairman M. Taufik said on Wednesday that the only way to
add more seats was by revising the law. However, such a revision
would be unlikely due to limited time.

"It's unlikely the law will be revised as the elections will
start in April next year," he said.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) had decided that
Jakarta would have 75 seats in its City Council based on the
capital's population of 8.3 million people. The law rules that a
province with a population of between six million and 8.9 million
will have 75 seats in the council.

Currently, there are 85 seats in the council.

Councillors had earlier proposed 100 seats.

City Council chairman Agung Imam Soemanto, a legislator from
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
argued that the request for 100 seats was based on the city
population that could reach 12 million during the day, due to
people commuting to work.

Councillor Amarullah Asbah of Golkar Party said the capital's
complicated conditions, compared to other regions, was the main
reason for requesting the additional seats.

Another councillor of PDI Perjuangan Totok Ismunandar said
that the population in the capital reached over nine million.

"I believe Jakarta's population is over nine million if people
living in slums and along riverbanks are counted," he said.