DPR to Discuss Special Committee for Election Bill Next Week

Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, has confirmed that the leadership will soon hold a meeting to discuss plans to form a special committee (Pansus) for the Election Bill next week.

Dasco said the meeting would be held in conjunction with the start of the DPR sitting period following the recess.

“We will hold a leadership meeting and a consultative meeting on Tuesday, and that matter will be addressed then,” Dasco said after the Financial Note Meeting for the 2027 State Budget at the parliamentary complex on Friday (14/8).

A Pansus is a cross-commission team formed to deliberate legislative agendas or laws. A Pansus differs from a working committee (Panja), which is limited to a single commission.

A Pansus is necessary because a single law may involve issues that intersect with other commissions.

Dasco added that all factions in the DPR have agreed that the Election Bill will be discussed on a limited basis soon. He acknowledged that planned visits or safaris to non-parliamentary parties to discuss the bill had not yet taken place during the recess due to busy schedules.

In addition to discussing the plan to form the Pansus, Dasco said the DPR will also begin discussing the selection plan for election organising committees.

“So, next week it will begin, and we welcome the possibility of the KPU selection committee starting in October,” he said.

Chairman of Commission II of the DPR, Rifqinizamy Karsayuda, previously admitted he had not yet received the green light from the DPR leadership to formally begin discussing the revision of Law Number 7 of 2017 on Elections.

However, Commission II has undertaken political ijtihad by holding audience meetings with experts and election observers. As a result, the commission has compiled 28 DIM (Daftar Inventarisir Masalah) items for the bill, which have been submitted to each faction.

However, these meetings and the compilation of the DIM were conducted outside the official procedure for drafting legislation. Formally, discussion should begin with the formation of a Panja before involving the wider public.

“We hold these meetings every two weeks in Commission II of the DPR to fulfil meaningful participation as mandated by various Constitutional Court rulings. We took the initiative to compile the problem inventory list,” he said.