Election commission demands legal instrument
Election commission demands legal instrument
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The General Election Commission (KPU) urged the government and
the House of Representatives (DPR) to start deliberating
amendments to the political laws the commission badly needs to
prepare for the 2004 election.
KPU member Chusnul Mar'iyah said on Friday that delayed
deliberation of amendments to political party and election laws
would jeopardize the commission's role.
"KPU must immediately be given legal instruments to carry out
its duties," Chusnul said.
She insisted that the new political party law could be
endorsed before October, when the commission opened registration
for parties contesting the election.
The government is completing the draft of the required laws,
but says it can not submit them to the House for deliberation
until after the constitutional amendment is endorsed in the
annual session of the People's Consultative Assembly in August.
Chusnul suggested that the deliberation could start from
articles relating to the existence of the KPU.
She also regretted the fact that the government had given a
cold shoulder to the KPU's demand, which had repeatedly been
raised.
The Law No. 3/1999 on general elections had been revised in
2000 and had prompted the establishment of the current 11-member
KPU. However, Chusnul said that the revision did not explain the
existence of KPU chapters in provinces and regencies nationwide.
The current KPU consists of 11 members, who replaced 53 KPU
members appointed for the 1999 election. All the current KPU
members are nonpartisan, consisting of scholars and community
figures.
A legislator from the tiny Love the Nation Democratic Party
(PDKB), Gregorius Seto Harianto, supported Chusnul's view, saying
he and fellow legislators would draft initiative bills to amend
the political laws if the government did not submit proposals by
the end of May.
"We have been waiting for the draft from the government. I
think the government can just submit the bills and start the
deliberation," Seto said.
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
legislator Teras Narang said that he could not put pressure on
the government to complete the bills immediately.
"In some meetings with us, Home Minister Hari Sabarno said his
office was still preparing the drafts," said Teras, chairman of
commission II for law and home affairs.
Chairman of the newly-launched Democratic Party (PD) Budi
Santosa, who also spoke at the discussion, said that the delayed
deliberation of the political bills would spark speculation that
there was political bargaining among big parties.
Concerning the funds needed to finance activities of the KPU
and its provincial branches across the country, Chusnul said that
the commission had asked the government to provide Rp 3.4
trillion for administrative affairs and Rp 1.2 trillion to
purchase computers.
In the 1999 election, KPU was given Rp 1.4 trillion from the
state budget and US$30 million in foreign donations.
"We have returned Rp 6 billion left-over from the government
fund," Chusnul said.