Direct election of House members supported

Direct election of House members supported

JAKARTA (JP): All People's Consultative Assembly factions,
except for the Indonesian Military (TNI)/Police faction, during
committee meetings here on Tuesday agreed that all of the House
of Representatives must be directly elected through a general
election.

In a session of an ad hoc committee, TNI/Police faction
spokesman Hendy Tjaswadi suggested that Article 19 of the 1945
Constitution not be amended.

"We think that the Article could be maintained," Hendy said
without giving further details.

It's not clear why the faction seems to be backtracking on the
Indonesian Military's own commitment to leave the practical
politics arena, or if the latest rejection is a ploy to gain
political concessions.

According to Article 19, House members are installed by the
law. The law, which is now still being revised, stipulates that
House members are people who are directly elected along with
members from TNI/Police who are appointed.

Other factions, such as the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Golkar Party, the United Development
Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB), are
supporting full election of House members.

PKB and the Societal Group Representatives faction even
suggested that the House members be elected through a district
system election.

"In the future, people would choose persons instead of
political parties," PKB's spokesman Yusuf Muhammad said.

The Crescent Star Party faction spokesman Hamdan Zoelva said
his party is proposing that the House be able to propose the
dismissal of Cabinet ministers.

"If the ministers commit crimes, violate laws, the House
should have a right to propose to the President to dismiss the
ministers," Hamdan said.

KPU

In a separate development, the government and the House's
Commission II for legal and domestic affairs agreed on Tuesday
the general election bill which will be used to set up an
independent general election commission (KPU).

The commission's working group chairman Ferry Mursyidan Baldan
said that all factions in Commission II agreed that KPU should
consist of 11 independent and non-partisan people.

"The number is varied, but we agreed that KPU should consist
of 11 people," Ferry, who is also legislator from the Golkar
party, said.

He said the bill, which will revise the current Law No. 3/1999
on general elections, states that the president would propose 22
candidates for KPU to the House who will then select the final
11.

The push to drive the bill through came after the current KPU
became bogged down in party disputes and political wrangling.

In the same session on Tuesday, the House and the government
also agreed that the composition of local councils in new
regencies should be based on last year's general election result.

The current KPU has repeatedly said that it would like to
conduct separate local elections for the new regencies.

The government and the House maintain that the new regencies
are not ready for elections, saying that it would also be a waste
of money and has the potential to disrupt stability. (jun)