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)