DPR urged to limit govt involvement in poll organization

DPR urged to limit govt involvement in poll organization

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives must limit the
government's involvement in the organization of the general
election next year to ensure a clean and fair poll, a political
expert suggested here on Thursday.

In a discussion on the bill on elections currently being
debated by the House, Muhammad A.S. Hikam of the National
Institute of Sciences (LIPI) suggested to legislators of the
United Development Party (PPP) that the "government elements" in
the upcoming electoral committee be reduced.

He said the government-sponsored bill implied the presence of
"desperados seeking to keep the state (overly) powerful."

Hikam referred to articles 7 to 17 in the bill's third chapter
on "the holding and organization" of the elections, and electoral
watchdog. He said the articles were intended to maintain the
state's monopoly over the election process.

The bill seeks to stipulate that the 1999 poll will be
organized by the General Election Commission (KPU). This body
will establish the Indonesian Electoral Committee (PPI) to handle
the administrative affairs.

KPU -- an "independent" body to be set up by the president as
the party responsible for the holding of the election -- will
have a national office based in Jakarta, as well as offices at
provincial and regency levels.

The national KPU members will comprise five government
representatives, five "community representatives", and a
representative for each and every political party contesting the
poll. It will be assisted by a secretariat whose head will be
appointed by the minister of home affairs.

The PPI will also comprise representatives of the contesting
political parties, "community representatives" and government
representatives.

Hikam cited a version of the election bill prepared by LIPI,
which says that all the government needed to do was to set up an
"electoral secretariat" to handle the facilities and
administrative work of the whole electoral process.

LIPI has also proposed that the secretariat be headed by the
home affairs ministry's secretary-general.

The election itself should be run by the Indonesian Electoral
Committee without government elements, but only representatives
of "political parties, social organizations, as well as elements
from other non-governmental/non-Armed Forces (ABRI)
organizations." All representatives should be endorsed by the
House, it suggested.

According to Hikam, such an arrangement was proposed on the
grounds that over the past 32 years, elections had been distorted
by the presence of "elements" of government bureaucracy and ABRI
that favored the ruling Golkar party.

"There is a strong impression that the government still wants
to be the poll organizer," Hikam said.

Also speaking in the hearing on Thursday was constitutional
expert Ismail Sunny.

IPCOS

On Wednesday, the Institute for Policy and Community
Development Studies (IPCOS) joined the ongoing discourse on the
political bills.

At a news conference it pointed out several loopholes in the
three political draft laws being deliberated by the House. It
pushed for amendments to all three bills.

Political researcher Kusnanto Anggoro of IPCOS said: "If
passed, the laws could lead to the centralization of power, given
public ignorance."

IPCOS director Johan O. Menajang said electoral districts
should be announced at the latest five months before election day
to give enough time for contestants and organizers to prepare
themselves.

The proposed amendment is a response to articles regulating
districts in the bill, which among other things states the
determination of electoral districts should be done by the
election committee.

The bill does not mention the announcement of districts.
However, one clause states that the national districts to elect
legislators will be established by the House of Representatives
based on the recommendation of the national electoral committee
at the latest one year before the next election.

The bill states that elections are to use a combination of
district and proportional representation systems.

"The determination of districts should give enough time for
contestants... to prevent those who may know the district layout
to steal a head start," the institute's proposed amendments said.

As a consequence of the system to be applied in the next
elections, "the opportunity for independent candidates should be
opened as wide as possible because (electoral) support in a
district system would not always be based on... political
parties but on individual popularity and skill to convey public
aspirations in a certain district," the report said.

All amendments were based on the "paradigms" of ensuring free
and fair elections; adequate representation; political
accountability of the government and a democratic maturing
process.

Based on the above paradigms IPCOS said people should also be
entitled to vote for their preferred individual candidates
regardless of the ranking of candidates drawn up by parties, as
was done in the previous elections.

One of 18 proposed amendments to the bill on the structure and
function for the People's Consultative Assembly, the House of
Representatives and the regional councils concerned the rights of
individual members.

IPCOS urged that legislators be given individual rights and
responsibilities, instead of the factions and commissions which
should only facilitate the legislative process. (aan/anr)