Election law gets low priority

Election law gets low priority

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite public fear of a suspended election, amendment of the
general election law is not a priority in the upcoming session of
the House of Representatives (DPR), which will start on Monday.

Chairman of the House's legislation body Zein Badjeber said on
Friday that the House would have to rush through other, more
urgent, bills.

"Ideally the election bill should be deliberated in a special
committee (to be set up later)," Zein told The Jakarta Post.

According to Zein, there were at least four bills that had to
receive priority for deliberation: on a commission for the
eradication of corruption, on advocates, on money laundering, and
on amnesty.

After the Constitution has being amended, allowing the country
to adopt a direct presidential election system in the 2004
election, many related laws will also need to be revised.

The amendment also requires the establishment of the Regional
Representatives Council (DPD), which will back the formation of a
bicameral parliamentary system.

Member of the General Election Commission Mulyana W. Kusumah
said earlier that the government would need 18 months to
publicize the election law prior to the ballot. Therefore, speedy
deliberation was recommended.

Zein said, however, that the government and the legislature
could start deliberation of bills on the election system and
composition of the DPD, the regional legislative council (DPRD),
and the DPR.

He said that there were two bills on the election system: One
was being prepared by the Home Ministry's team and the second was
being jointly outlined by the House and the University of
Indonesia.

Zein said that the lawmakers would immediately deal with the
one that was submitted first for deliberation and treat the other
as supplementary input.