Electoral system needs major overhaul
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It is feared that preparations for the 2004 general election may be disrupted if lawmakers fail to reach a consensus on the presidential election system during the upcoming Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
A member of the General Election Commission (KPU), Mulyana W. Kusumah, hoped the 10-day MPR session, scheduled to start on Thursday, would amend Article 6 of the 1945 Constitution on the presidential election so that the next president would be elected in a direct election system.
"If the Assembly fails to reach a consensus, the revision of political laws will be delayed, thereby affecting the preparations for the general election," Mulyana said, at a discussion here on Monday.
Mulyana said the amendment expected from the next session, the third ever made to the Constitution, should include an amendment to the system of representation and the presidential election.
He warned that the enthusiasm for a direct presidential election would be hampered if the MPR was unable to complete the amendment.
Jimly Ashidiqie of the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI) admitted that the demand for a direct presidential election had been gaining strength and was unavoidable.
Jimly, however, said the change of a presidential election system should not only be for the sake of modification. "It needs systematic preparation," he said.
He reiterated that any amendment of the Constitution should be aimed at creating a better presidential system for the country.
According to Jimly, Indonesia had yet to apply a genuinely presidential system. "In the Sukarno era, we adopted a parliamentarian system. Since then, it has been a quasi- presidential system," he said.
Founder of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) Todung Mulya Lubis, said lawmakers should not only focus on the direct presidential election, but also on the restructuring of the entire political system.
He said a direct presidential election was specifically designed to curb the practice of money politics. "This does not mean that money politics would disappear, but it would be reduced," he said.
Todung said more assessment was required before the nation could decide whether to choose a direct presidential election because there were a variety of different types of elections.
"If such an amendment could be made this year, revision to the political laws would follow next year. That would leave us with enough time before the 2004 general election," he added.
Todung emphasized that it should be the nation that determines which presidential election system would be adopted.