Factions in agreement on independent poll commission

Factions in agreement on independent poll commission

JAKARTA (JP): All five factions on the People's Consultative
Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee I agreed on Wednesday the general
election planned for next May should be held fairly and run by an
independent election commission rather than by the government.

Marwah Daud Ibrahim, the committee chairwoman, said her
committee reached the agreement after discussions, lobbying and
consultations over several sessions.

"We are all feeling happy that after tough talks in the
sessions, consultations and lobby fora, all factions eventually
reached the agreement," she said.

She said, however, that factions were still divided over the
membership of the election commission.

The Golkar, Armed Forces (ABRI) and Regional Representatives
factions proposed that the members should represent the
government, political parties and the public, while the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and United Development Party
(PPP) factions wanted the government to be excluded.

"The government should stay out of the election process and
the commission. However, the president should be accountable (for
the poll)," Chozin Chumaidy of PPP said.

Ismunandar of PDI said the election had to be run by an
independent commission so it could proceed fairly and in order to
prevent vote rigging and other manipulation.

The draft law on general elections which was recently
submitted for deliberation to the House of Representatives
stipulates that the president must establish an independent
election commission whose members represent the government,
political parties and the public.

Marwah said her committee was also still divided over ABRI's
representation in the MPR, House of Representatives (DPR), and
provincial and regency legislative councils.

The PPP faction proposed that ABRI be represented only in the
MPR in line with latest public calls for the government to reduce
the military's role in politics to a minimum.

Endin Sofihara of PPP said his faction believed that ABRI
should continue to play a role in politics but that it should be
reduced in line with "modernization".

"Numerous incidents in the past have given us an important
lesson that they had to do with the ABRI's dual function (in
security and politics). The time has come for ABRI to reduce its
role in politics," he said.

Golkar and the Regional Representatives said ABRI's current
political role, including its representation in the MPR, DPR,
provincial and regional legislative councils, should be
maintained since it did not participate in general elections.

Rully Chairul Azwar of Golkar said ABRI's representation in
the DPR and MPR should be maintained because it had helped
improve the state institutions' performance.

The committee also agreed the election would be held in May or
in June at the latest, saying the poll was urgently needed to
help solve the political crisis.

Marwah said all factions were committed to the reform movement
and the national political agenda to run a general election as
soon as possible in order to have a democratic government.

Widodo AS, chairman of the Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee II,
said his committee also agreed with the planned general election
as part of the political reform that should be carried out by
President B.J. Habibie's government.

He said that his committee had agreed to make a state policy
outline regulating programs that should be carried out by the
government until the MPR general session in December 1999. (rms)