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.