DPR passes bill on military's seats in House

DPR passes bill on military's seats in House

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives (DPR) passed a bill
on the reduction of military seats in the legislative body from
100 to 75 to be effective after the 1997 general elections.

All four factions in the House agreed in a plenary session
presided over by Deputy House Speaker J.A. Katili that the move
would be beneficial in the country's democratization and will
more clearly define the political role of the Armed Forces
(ABRI).

Attended by Minister of Home Affairs Moch. Yogie S.M., the
session heard the factions' final view of the bill from their
representatives.

Suparman Achmad from the ABRI faction said, "Seventy five
seats are adequate but, as noted, the members should be selected
from among the best officers to maintain the quality of the
representation."

"The ABRI faction can accept the consensus (to pass the bill)
graciously," he said.

The plan to reduce ABRI's legislative seats came after
President Soeharto ordered the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
in February to conduct research on a more suitable electoral
system.

According to the law on socio-political organizations passed
in 1985, 100 of the 500 DPR seats are reserved for ABRI. These
House members do not take part in elections. A 1982 law gives
legitimacy to ABRI's role as a socio-political player in
Indonesia.

The remaining 400 seats are contested in the general election,
held once every five years, by Golkar, the United Development
Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

Following the submission of the bill, which is in fact a
revision of only one chapter of the 1985 law, discussions on the
roles of ABRI in the House proceeded aplenty.

Some analysts, believing the military is "over-represented" in
the House, said the reduction would help ensure greater
democracy. Other analysts argued that democratization would ensue
only if all related parties could establish fair general
elections and eliminate violations and manipulation.

The draft law itself was given exceptional treatment in the
House. Legislators adjusted their schedule in order to give it
priority.

The PPP faction yesterday endorsed the bill but not before
airing its long-time grievances over the implementation of the
general elections and the general political climate.

Spokesman Nadhier Muhammad said the faction could approve the
draft bill, but also demanded a revision of the existing laws on
politics, which some consider favor Golkar over PPP and PDI, and
on general elections.

Only with the revision can the nation have a more democratic
political representation, encourage "the people's political
competition" and discourage the establishment of a single-party
system, he concluded.

The PPP faction also criticized the bureaucracy for unfairly
favoring one political grouping in its activities over the
others.

"This...taking sides attitude is burdening the nation which
has to pay the political cost of protecting and ensuring that the
grouping retains its majority position," Nadhier said, apparently
referring to the ruling Golkar.

"It's our belief that all efforts to strive for a majority
should be made proportionally by healthy competition," he said.

Similar calls for the revision on laws on political life were
made by the PDI faction. Spokesman H. Subagyo also reminded the
session that ABRI should retain its "neutral stance" and not take
sides with any groupings.

Spokesman of Golkar faction Harisoegiman said that a revision
on political law does not have to be accompanied by revision on
other laws.

"There are laws which were revised one, two or three times,
and there are laws which never underwent revision," he said. "The
revision of a law is crucially determined by the prevailing
situation".

Acknowledging that the bill carried great "political weight",
Yogie said in his speech that the reduction of military seats in
the House was meant to "adjust with the developing situation" in
society.

"It's also to ensure that ABRI carries out its social and
political roles that it develops the Pancasila democracy and
contributes to problem solving activities," he said. (swe)