Election idea called impractical

Election idea called impractical

SEMARANG (JP): A proposal to have the country's political parties administer general elections instead of the government was cast aside by two political experts.

While neither Amien Rais of Gadjah Mada University nor Purwoko of Diponegoro University oppose the proposal, which was made by Gen. (ret.) Abdul Harris Nasution during a lecture in Jakarta last week, both believe it to be impractical.

The proposal of Nasution, Indonesia's oldest living Army officer, has widened the ongoing debate between politicians and experts on how to make the 1997 general election more democratic.

Amien, who also chairs the influential Moslem organization Muhammadiyah, pointed out that running general elections requires major funding and efficient organization which no private institution in the country can provide.

He suggested instead the establishment of an independent election monitoring committee, whose results could be compared with the committee set up by the government.

"Granted, this is not the ideal, but if the independent committee were filled with people of high integrity, unquestionable honesty and a commitment to the people, then we could expect an honest and fair election," he said.

There are bound to be shortcomings in any election, but this is a common problem found in most other developing countries, he said.

Meanwhile, Purwoko said Nasution's proposal could only be implemented if the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) reformed the 1985 election law, which empowers the President and the government to prepare and administer elections.

However, he questioned the MPR's ability to change the law in time for the 1997 election. "Maybe the election after that, but not this one," he said.

Like Amien, Purwoko suggested that an independent election monitoring committee be set up to correct the shortcomings of the current election system. (har/emb)