Electoral laws cannot be sped up: Government

Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has rejected a demand by the General Election Commission that it speed up the drafting of key political laws, saying only the bills will be ready by the end of the year.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after a limited Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the government intended to finalize the bills promptly.

But he said the laws could not be drafted until the People's Consultative Assembly finalized constitutional amendments to the presidential election and legislative systems, during its annual session in August.

"After there is a certainty of the constitutional amendment in the MPR annual session in August or November, the drafts of the political law must soon be deliberated," Susilo said.

The draft laws, which will cover electoral processes, political parties and the composition of legislative bodies, were debated at the Cabinet meeting, presided over by President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Members of the election commission last week met with Vice President Hamzah Haz to express their concerns about the laws being delayed. They told the Vice President the 2004 general elections may be unable to proceed on time unless the laws were finalized soon.

Election commission members have repeatedly complained that the delay is preventing the commission doing its job.

They say the commission needs at least two years to properly prepare for an election, so the bills should be endorsed before June this year.

Susilo said, however, there were still many technicalities in the drafts to be debated between the House factions, such as the prerequisite for a political party to contest the general election, and whether the country would adopt a direct presidential election.

The government has held some informal meetings with the faction leaders but few compromises have been reached, Susilo said.

He insisted the government was determined to have the legal framework for the 2004 election endorsed at least a year before the poll, to give the commission enough time to prepare.

Reiterating Susilo's statement, Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said several departments were involved in preparing the laws.

"We hope that the drafts can be finalized by the end of 2002," Yusril said.

The limited Cabinet meeting, which was held at the State Palace, was also attended by Vice President Hamzah Haz, Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno, Defense Minister Matori Abdul Djalil and Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Adm. Widodo A.S.

Indonesia has held eight general elections in its 56-year-old history.