Elections will be held next year: Habibie
Elections will be held next year: Habibie
JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie spelled out for the first
time yesterday his promise that Indonesia would hold a free and
democratic general election next year to enable it to have a new
president and democratically elected government.
The government will also allow people to establish new
political parties as long as they are not against the state
ideology Pancasila or the 1945 Constitution, he said.
"Insya Allah (God willing) the poll can be conducted next year
because we will need about six months to draw up new (election)
laws," Habibie said in a meeting with the leaders of the
Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) at the Bina Graha presidential
office.
"If we want to do something, we must do it as well as
possible, it would be better than achieving something rapidly but
in ways which are wrong," he said.
Habibie also pointed out the necessity of limiting a
president's time in office to two terms.
On the establishment of new political parties, Habibie said:
"In principle, we do not want to restrict the number, and anyone
can set up a new party."
Several groups have declared the establishment of new
political parties. Some observers cautioned that too many parties
would render opposition movements ineffective.
Habibie, however, suggested the problem could be resolved by
drawing up a law requiring a party to get a certain number of
seats in the House or otherwise merge with other parties.
"The law will determine the minimum percentage of votes a
party has to get in the poll," Habibie noted.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) Harmoko and
the President agreed Thursday to hold an extraordinary session of
the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) at the end of this year
or early next year, with the agenda to set a new poll date.
Harmoko, however, declined to mention the exact schedule of
the new poll and just said that it would be held as soon as
possible.
Opposition groups and student leaders denounced the plan as
being too vague, and too slow to meet their wishes. Some students
also said the extraordinary session should force former president
Soeharto to account for his rule.
The government and the House will finish their reviews of the
five political laws -- which cover mass organizations, the role
and function of the House and the Assembly, political parties and
Golkar, regional administrations and elections -- within this
six-month period.
"We are truly carrying out reform programs; total reform, but
not anarchic or violent reforms," Habibie stressed.
The president, sworn in to replace Soeharto last Thursday,
also expressed his concern over the recent riots which claimed
hundreds of lives and caused huge losses for the people.
"I have just met with two organizations of ordinary people and
street vendors. They said they did not have any objection about
who became ministers or president. What's important for them is a
peaceful life and honest earnings," he said.
Meanwhile, approximately 200 students of Sarjana Wiyata Taman
Siswa University and Foreign Language Academy in Yogyakarta held
a peaceful demonstration to demand the trial of Soeharto.
"Take Soeharto to court and seize his wealth," the students
wrote on their posters.
Police paid little attention to their protest. (23/prb)