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)